Martin Helmchen

Martin Helmchen, with enormous depth, virtuosity, and imagination, has become one of the great pianists of his generation. Born in Berlin, he has made a series of sensational U.S. orchestral debuts, beginning in 2011 at Tanglewood, performing the Schumann Concerto with the Boston Symphony under Christoph von Dohnányi. In 2014, with the New York Philharmonic, he played a revelatory performance of the Dvořák Piano Concerto; in 2015, he made his Symphony Hall debut with the Boston Symphony, playing Beethoven’s Fifth Piano Concerto; and in 2016, he performed Beethoven’s Second Piano Concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. This past season, he debuted with the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra at Lincoln Center under Thierry Fischer, playing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 25. Worldwide highlights include performances with the Berlin Philharmonic, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, Vienna Philharmonic, and NHK Symphony in Japan. In addition to recitals at The Frick Collection, Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall (with cellist Marie-Elisabeth Hecker), San Francisco Performances, and Wigmore Hall, he has also appeared at the Schubertiade, Lockenhaus, and Marlboro festivals. Mr. Helmchen was a student of Galina Iwanzowa in Berlin and Arie Vardie in Hanover. His career took off when he won the 2001 Clara Haskil Competition at age nineteen.