Wolfram Schmitt-Leonardy (1967) is one of the leading German pianists of his generation and professor at the "Hochschule für Musik und Theater" in Munich. Wolfram Schmitt-Leonardy constantly expands his worldwide concert activity. During his studies he was awarded highest prizes, eg. in the Walter Gieseking Competition (1987), the International Piano Competition Carlo Soliva (1988), the European Music Competition Torino (1991), the International Piano Competition Sergej Rachmaninoff (1993), the International Piano Competition Mazara del Vallo (1994) and the International Piano Competition Pietrà Ligure (1998). Furthermore he has twice been awarded the culture prize of the municipality Schwalbach (1987/1989), the fine arts-scholarship of the federal state Saarland (1994) and the culture prize of the district Saarlouis (1997).
In addition he has performed in renowned concert halls and on the occasion of international festivals, eg. the Philharmonia Berlin, the Philharmonia St Petersburg, the Berlin Festwochen, Musikfestspiele Saar, the Mozartfest Schwetzingen, the Moselfestspiele, Alexandria Opera House and Manasterly Palace Kairo (Egypt), Philharmonic Hall Poznan (Poland), the International Mozart Festival Romania, the East-West-Festival Poland, the International Piano Festival Malaysia, the Stuttgart Marmorsaal, and additionally an impressive number of international engagements such as concerts in France, Austria, Switzerland, Finnland (Kemiö Festival), Slovenia (RTV Symphony Orchestra Slovenia), Jordania, Luxemburg, Romania, Philippines (CCP Manila), Italy (Amiata Piano Festival, Festivals in Venezia, Cagliari, Nora, Nuoro, Merano, Bolzano, Siracusa, Iglesias).
Among his music partners are the St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia Hungarica, the Philharmonia of the Nations, the Philharmonie de Lorraine, the Beethoven Academy Orchestra Krakov, the RTV Symphony Orchestra Slovenia, the State Philharmonic of Oradea, the Sinfonietta Saarbrücken, the State Philharmonic Sibiu, the State Philharmonic Brasov, the State Philharmonic Rheinland-Pfalz, the Filharmonia Sudecka, the State Philharmonic Cluj, the State Philharmonic Temeswar, the Malaysian Symphonic Orchestra, the State Philharmonic Poznan, Schlesische Kammerphilharmonie and many others under such famous conductors as Lior Shambadal, Emil Tabakov, István Dénes, Max Pommer, Leo Krämer, Emil Klein, Cristian Brancusi, Gheorghe Costin, Pavel Przytocki, Dariusz Mikulski, Justus Frantz, Philippe Dorn, Petre Sbarcea, Vladimir Conta, Andreas Kraft, Petr Altrichter, Nicolas Krauze, Dariusz Mikulsky and many others. At the same time he has performed with important ensembles and personalities such as the Melos Quartett Stuttgart, the Amati Quartett Zurich, the Philharmonia Quartett Berlin, the Rodin Quartett Munich, the Stuttgart Wind Quintett, Dmitri Maslennikov (Cello), Guido Schiefen (Cello), Valérie Aimard (Cello), Ramon Jaffé (Cello), Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt, (Cello) and many others. He has realized radio and television broadcasts in Germany (SR, SDR, Radio Bremen, SWR Baden Baden, Deutschlandradio Berlin), Italy (RAI), Switzerland (DRS), Slowenia (RTV) and the Philippines (BMG). He has also published CD’s for Label ebs (Bayer records) with works from Tchaikovsky, Gershwin and Kabalevsky and for Label brilliant classics with works from Brahms, Schumann and Rachmaninoff/Warenberg (world premiere recording of his 2nd symphony in a transcription for piano and orchestra which has been recommended by the german newspaper "DIE ZEIT", the radio stations "Bayerischer Rundfunk" and Saarländischer Rundfunk" and by the magazines FonoForum (germany) and Diapason (France).
The leading german music magazine FonoForum awarded his first solo album (Kabalevsky) five stars (highest possible evluation). It was also twice nominated for the Deutscher Schallplattenpreis. His recording of the complete Brahms piano variations for Label brilliant classics has also been awarded five stars by the magazine Fono Forum. The French magazine PIANO awarded it with the CD-prize Coup de Coeur. The polish magazine Muzycka21 awarded it five stars. Wolfram Schmitt-Leonardy has been elected by the leading german music magazine as Upcoming artist of the year 2005.In the past years his students have won numerous first prizes in international and european piano competitions. Wolfram Schmitt-Leonardy was invited to give masterclasses for the Amiata Piano Festival, Musica Viva (Italy), for the Camerata dell’Arte Foundation and Opusfest (Philippines), for the festival Musiktage Saarlouis (Germany), for the Academy of cultural affairs Saarlouis, at the conservatory in Cluj (Romania), in the course of the International Piano Festival Malaysia. 1997 he held a chair for piano teaching at the University of Music Saar and since 1998 he is working there constantly.
Since 2007 Wolfram Schmitt-Leonardy is also teaching at the prestigious École Normale de Musique de Paris Alfred Cortot in Paris (France). Since 2010 he is professor at the “Hochschule für Musik und Theater” in Munich. In the past years his students have won more than 20 prizes in international piano competitions.
