Born in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, in 1987, Igor Levit moved to Germany with his family at age 8. He completed his piano studies at Hannover Academy of Music, Theatre and Media in 2009 with the highest academic and performance scores in the history of the institute.
In 2018, Levit was the Gilmore Artist and Royal Philharmonic Society’s Instrumentalist of the Year. The New York Times describes Igor Levit as one of the “most important artists of his generation.” He was appointed to a professorship at his alma mater in spring 2019. In November 2020, Levit was nominated for a Grammy Award for best classical instrumental solo.
After the release of his highly acclaimed first recording of the complete Beethoven piano sonatas for his exclusive label Sony Classical International in fall 2019, Levit performed full cycles at the Berlin Philharmonie, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Lucerne Festival, Salzburg Festival and Stockholm’s Konserthuset through spring 2021. In May 2021, Levit made his debut recital tour of Asia with a Beethoven sonata program, taking him to Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
In the 2020-21 season, Levit was the focus artist at the Essen Philharmonic and artist-in-residence with Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Other orchestral engagements in the same season were with the Berlin Philharmonic and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, among others.
For his political commitment, Levit was awarded the Fifth International Beethoven Prize in 2019. This was followed in January 2020 by the award of the “Statue B” of the International Auschwitz Committee on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. In October 2020, Levit was recognized with the Federal Cross of Merit.
In Berlin, where he makes his home, Levit plays on a Steinway D Grand Piano, kindly given to him by the Trustees of Independent Opera at Sadler’s Wells.
Igor Levit is an exclusive recording artist of Sony Classical.
Summer 2021
