biography
Teo Gheorghiu is above all a “poetic storyteller” (Neue Zürcher Zeitung) and his captivating style has fascinated audiences at venues such as Wigmore Hall and the Barbican. He has played to great acclaim with orchestras like the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. He has collaborated with conductors such as Sir Neville Marriner, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Matthias Pintscher and Alexander Shelley. Critics have praised his “blinding clarity” (Tribune de Geneve), and the “imagination of sound” (Alain Cochard, Concert Classic), that lends itself to “thrilling playing” (General-Anzeiger Bonn). He frequently collaborates with his mentor, Maria Joao Pires, and has played at her Belgais Center for Arts. He was elected Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM) in 2023.
Born near Zurich, Swiss-Canadian pianist Teo Gheorghiu burst on the music scene when he won first prize at the International San Marino Piano Competition in 2004 and followed up with the top award at the Franz Liszt International Competition in Weimar. He captivated hearts in the moving film about a music prodigy Vitus (2006), with Bruno Ganz. At the age of 18 he was the youngest recipient of the Beethoven Ring at the Beethoven Fest in Bonn and in 2017 he received the Best Canadian Artist award at the Concours Musicale International in Montreal.
He lived in London for many years, where he studied under Hamish Milne. He has also worked with leading orchestras such as the Sinfonieorchester St. Gallen, Sinfonie Orchester Basel, London Chamber Orchestra, Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica de Bilbao, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, Orquestra Filarmônica de Minas Gerais in Brazil, and the Romanian National Radio Orchestra. He has played recitals in Latin America at Teatro Municipal in Santiago, Chile, Teatro Mayor in Colombia, and participated in festivals such as the Dvořák Prague International Music Festival, Dresdner Musikfestspiele, Ravinia Festival and Festival Strings Lucerne.
His most recent projects include successful debuts with Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana at Settimane Musicali in Ascona, and in Beijing at CCOM; fruitful collaborations with renowned conductors such as Richard Kogima and Charles Dutoit; further duo recitals with cellist Emanuel Graf from Nymphenburger Sommer in Munich to Festival Pablo Casals in San Juan Puerto Rico, a first appearance at the prestigious series ‘Meisterkonzerte’ in Künstlerhaus Boswil, and a tour with argovia Philharmonic under the baton of Joseph Bastian.
In 2026/27, Teo Gheorghiu is particularly looking forward to presenting his new solo recital programme ‘Traces’, and solo appearances with Symphony Nova Scotia, BBC Concert Orchestra, Philharmonie Baden-Baden and Camerata Schweiz. This season will also mark the start of the complete cycle of Rachmaninov’s works for piano and orchestra, to be performed with l’Orchestre de Chambre Fribourgeois under the direction of Philippe Bach.
Teo Gheorghiu regularly collaborates with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra and is Artistic Director of Société des Concerts de Fribourg. He is a Steinway artist, and has recorded with Deutsche Grammophon, Sony Classics, and Claves labels. His repertoire comprises the full range of European composers, from Bach and Enescu, to Bartók and Gurdjieff. Teo speaks Romanian, German, French, and English. Embracing his multicultural background led him to explore his Romanian ancestry, and he released Roots in 2022.