W O L F R A M  S C H M I T T – L E O N A R D Y, piano (G E R M A N Y)

WOLFRAM SCHMITT-LEONARDY is one of the leading pianists of his generation. He graduated with the highest distinction at the University of Music Saar. Since his youth, he has been winning an impressive amount of top-prizes in international piano competitions throughout the world such as the Walter Gieseking Competition (1987), the International Piano Competition Carlo Soliva (1988), the European Music Competition Torino (1991), the International Piano Competition Sergej Rachmaninoff (1993), the International Piano Competition Mazara del Vallo (1994) and the International Piano Competition Pietrà Ligure (1998). Furthermore he has twice been awarded the culture prize of the municipality Schwalbach, the Fine Arts Scholarship of the Federal State of Saarland, and the Culture Prize of Distonction Saarlouis. Mr. Schmitt-Leonardy has performed in renowned concert halls and in international festivals such as the Berlin Philharmonia, the St Petersburg Philharmonia, the Berlin Festwochen, “White Nights” in St Petersburg, the Musikfestspiele Saar, the Moselfestwochen, the “Internationale Musiktage Dom zu Speyer”, “Kultursommer Hessen”, the Stuttgart Marmorsaal, Mozartfest Schwetzingen, the Saarbrücken Congress Hall, the Mettlach Chamber Music Festival, the International Piano Festival of Malaysia, the Manasterly Palace Kairo, the Alexandria Opera House, the “Schubertiade Schloß Eyb”, the International Mozart Festival in Cluj, the East-West-Festival in Poland, and the Philharmonia Poznan, He has also performed as soloist with the St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia Hungarica, the Philharmonia of the Nations, the Philharmonie de Lorraine, the Saar Wind Orchestra, the State Philharmonic Poznan, the Chamber Philharmonic of Kattowicze, and many others. Mr. Schmitt-Leonardy has performed with important ensembles and artists such as the Melos Quartett, the Stuttgart Wind Quintett, the Amati Quartett, Guido Schiefen, Valérie Aimard, Irena Baar, and others. He has also recorded radio and television broadcasts in Germany (SR, SDR, Radio Bremen, SWR Baden Baden, Deutschlandradio Berlin), Italy (RAI), Switzerland (DRS), Slowenia (RTV) and the Philippines (BMG). He has also recorded for Bayer records with works by Tchaikovsky, Gershwin and Kabalevsky and for the “Brilliant Classics” Label. The leading German music magazine “FonoForum” awarded his solo albums of Kabalevsky (2002) and Brahms (2005) five stars. The Brahms album was also awarded by the French recording award “Coup de Coeur” (PIANO Magazine). In the next two years he will produce several CDs for “Brilliant Classics”.