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 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, his debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra, in addition to performances in the Schwetzingen, Schubertiada Vilabertran, Lerici, Oxford, Aldeburgh and Edinburgh International Festivals. He was awarded an MBE for services to Music in the New Year 2019 Honours List.
Further appearances are Wigmore Hall London, Toradze Festival Tbilisi, Salle Bourgie Montreal, Palau de la Musica Barcelona, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées Paris, an extensive tour in China and Artist in Residence with Orchestre Métropolitain and Yannick Nézet-Seguin.
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 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, his debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra, in addition to performances in the Schwetzingen, Schubertiada Vilabertran, Lerici, Oxford, Aldeburgh and Edinburgh International Festivals. He was awarded an MBE for services to Music in the New Year 2019 Honours List.
Further appearances are Wigmore Hall London, Toradze Festival Tbilisi, Salle Bourgie Montreal, Palau de la Musica Barcelona, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées Paris, an extensive tour in China and Artist in Residence with Orchestre Métropolitain and Yannick Nézet-Seguin.