Biography
A deeply passionate and sensitive pianist, Christian Blackshaw is celebrated for the incomparable musicianship of his performances. His playing combines tremendous emotional depth with great understanding. Born in Cheshire, England, he studied with Gordon Green at the Royal College Manchester and Royal Academy London, winning the gold medals at each. He then became the first British pianist to study at the Leningrad Conservatoire with Moisei Halfin and later worked closely with Sir Clifford Curzon in London.
He has performed worldwide and in festivals as recitalist and soloist with many renowned conductors, including Sir Simon Rattle, Gianandrea Noseda, Sir Donald Runnicles, Herbert Blomstedt, Trevor Pinnock, Neeme Järvi and Yannick Nézet-Séguin and is the founder director of the Hellensmusic Festival which was established in 2013.
His hugely acclaimed Wigmore Hall complete Mozart Piano Sonatas series was recorded for Wigmore Hall Live and released in four volumes. Critics have been unanimous in their praise, describing these “landmark” recordings as “captivating”, “magical” and “masterful”. Volume 4 was named as one of the Best Classical Recordings of 2015 in the New York Times in addition to Gramophone Magazine’s Top 50 Greatest Mozart Recordings.
Recent notable performances include the Mozart cycle in Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai, Montreal and Snape and debuts with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Yannick Nézet-Séguin in addition to performances in the Schwetzingen, Schubertiada Vilabertran, Lerici and Edinburgh International Festivals. He was awarded an MBE for services to Music in the New Year 2019 Honours List. During 2023/24 he appears at Wigmore Hall London, Oxford International Festival, Toradze Festival Tbilisi, Salle Bourgie Montreal, Palau de la Musica Barcelona and Théâtre des Champs-Élysées Paris.
He has performed worldwide and in festivals as recitalist and soloist with many renowned conductors, including Sir Simon Rattle, Gianandrea Noseda, Sir Donald Runnicles, Herbert Blomstedt, Trevor Pinnock, Neeme Järvi and Yannick Nézet-Séguin and is the founder director of the Hellensmusic Festival which was established in 2013.
His hugely acclaimed Wigmore Hall complete Mozart Piano Sonatas series was recorded for Wigmore Hall Live and released in four volumes. Critics have been unanimous in their praise, describing these “landmark” recordings as “captivating”, “magical” and “masterful”. Volume 4 was named as one of the Best Classical Recordings of 2015 in the New York Times in addition to Gramophone Magazine’s Top 50 Greatest Mozart Recordings.
Recent notable performances include the Mozart cycle in Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai, Montreal and Snape and debuts with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Yannick Nézet-Séguin in addition to performances in the Schwetzingen, Schubertiada Vilabertran, Lerici and Edinburgh International Festivals. He was awarded an MBE for services to Music in the New Year 2019 Honours List. During 2023/24 he appears at Wigmore Hall London, Oxford International Festival, Toradze Festival Tbilisi, Salle Bourgie Montreal, Palau de la Musica Barcelona and Théâtre des Champs-Élysées Paris.