Magdalene Ho

"It was a pleasure to play on Bechstein pianos for the International German Piano Award. They offered a unique colour palette and a range of special sound qualities that inspired me greatly, particularly the clarity and balance across the keyboard. To have been able to use these wonderful instruments throughout the competition was a privilege indeed."

Pianist Magdalene Ho, born in California in 2003 to Malaysian parents, gained international attention after winning the International Clara Haskil Piano Competition in Vevey, Switzerland, in 2023, as well as the Audience Prize, the Young Critics Prize, and the Children's Corner Prize. In November 2024, she won the 13th International German Piano Competition in Kronberg, Germany.

In 2012, the family moved to England, where Magdalene Ho spent the next nine years on a full scholarship at the Purcell School for Young Musicians in Bushey, Hertfordshire, studying with Chinese-born piano teacher and pianist Patsy Toh (a student of Myra Hess, Yvonne Lefébure, and Alfred Cortot, and widow of pianist Fu Ts’ong). In 2019, her first CD featuring works by Bach and Messiaen was released. Since 2022, Magdalene Ho has been studying with pianist Dmitri Alexeev (a student of Dmitri Bashkirov) at the Royal College of Music in London, also on a full scholarship.

Concerts as a soloist, including with various orchestras (such as the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and the Orchestra della Scala), as well as chamber music performances (with cellists Daniel Müller-Schott and Marc Coppey, among others) confirm Magdalene Ho's exceptional pianistic talent and musical depth. In 2025/26, Magdalene Ho made her debut at the Tonhalle Zurich and with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Orchestra. Other highlights of the season include her performances at the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival, the Rheingau Music Festival, and as part of the SWR series “Internationale Pianisten” in Mainz. Three piano recitals in memory of pianist Alfred Brendel (1931-2025), founder and board member of the international piano foundation The Keyboard Charitable Trust, London, followed in Cologne, Düsseldorf, and Hamburg.

Since 2024, Magdalene Ho has been supported by the Vevey Spring Classic Festival and the Weir Award of the Keyboard Charitable Trust, London.