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Severin von Eckardstein appointed professor of piano

Severin von Eckardstein appointed professor of piano

27. February ’26

Our university has appointed Severin von Eckardstein as professor of piano at the Institute for Instrumental Performance. The internationally renowned pianist will take up his post on 1 October 2026. He most recently taught as a professor at the Cologne University of Music and Dance.

Severin von Eckardstein wants to give his students important inspiration:

»When teaching, it is particularly important to me to explore questions of music and interpretation together in an open atmosphere of discussion. I also want to promote a healthy awareness of practising: how much and what kind of practising is really necessary to internalise the musical message, but at the same time develop a joy in learning, playing and acquiring a broad knowledge of repertoire? Against the backdrop of challenging career prospects for young pianists, I want to encourage my students: those who try something new are most likely to succeed. I am looking forward to the new musical energy at the HMTM, to the culturally rich life in Munich and to exciting encounters with musicians, colleagues and friends.«

Severin von Eckardstein is one of the most important German pianists of his generation and is at home on numerous major stages around the world with solo and orchestral concerts. He has performed with orchestras such as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, NHK Orchestra and Mariinsky Orchestra under conductors such as Paavo Järvi, Jaap van Zweden, Marek Janowski, Valery Gergiev and Philippe Herreweghe. Until its conclusion in 2020, von Eckardstein played a total of eight recitals in the ‘Meesterpianisten’ series at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam. In 2022, he appeared for the seventh time at the Ruhr Piano Festival.

Von Eckardstein is the prize winner and winner of numerous international competitions. Among other awards, he received the Grand Prix at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels in 2003, third prize at the Leeds International Piano Competition in 2000 and second prize (with no first prize awarded) at the ARD Competition in Munich in 1999.

The artist received significant inspiration for his artistic training from Prof. Barbara Szczepanska, Prof. Karl-Heinz Kämmerling and Prof. Klaus Hellwig, and gained further inspiration through studies at the International Piano Academy Lake Como, Italy. In the winter semester of 2023/24, he was appointed professor at the Cologne University of Music and Dance.

Chamber music also plays an important role in his repertoire. He has performed at festivals such as the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival (Finland) and – together with cellist Heinrich Schiff – at the Risør Chamber Music Festival (Norway). Artists such as Sophia Jaffé, Isang Enders, Isabelle van Keulen and Igor Levit are among his chamber music partners. Together with Franziska Hölscher, he founded the chamber music series ‘Klangbrücken’ at the Berlin Konzerthaus several years ago.

His CD recordings, including works by Schubert, Scriabin, Medtner, Wagner and Schumann, have received numerous awards. The CD released in 2018 with works by Debussy and Dupont received the Diapason d’Or. His album ‘Vers la flamme’ was released in autumn 2023.