Artur Pizarro

Artur Pizarro performs internationally in solo recitals, in duos, with chamber music groups, and as a soloist with the world's leading orchestras. He has worked with conductors Charles Dutoit, Sir Simon Rattle, Jean Fournier, Philippe Entremont, Yan Pascal Tortelier, Sir Andrew Davis, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Yuri Temirkanov, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Ilan Volkov, Tugan Sokhiev, Yakov Kreizberg, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Libor Pešek, Vladimir Jurowski, and Sir Charles Mackerras. Mr. Pizarro is also very active in chamber music performance and appears regularly at chamber music festivals throughout the world, such as the Spannungen chamber music festival in Heimbach. In 2005 he formed the Pizarro Trio with violinist Raphaël Oleg and cellist Josephine Knight. He performed as a piano duo with Vita Panomariovaite. He currently performs as a piano duo with Rinaldo Zhok. Throughout 2010, Artur Pizarro performed a cycle of the complete solo piano works of Chopin over nine recitals at St. John's, Smith Square, London. The complete cycle marked the 200th anniversary of Chopin's birth.

Artur Pizarro won first prize in the 1987 Vianna da Motta Competition, first prize in the 1988 Greater Palm Beach Symphony Competition, and first prize in the 1990 Leeds International Pianoforte Competition.

Artur Pizarro began his piano studies in Lisbon with Campos Coelho, professor of piano at the Lisbon Conservatory of Music, at age three. At age five, he began studying with pianist Sequeira Costa, also in Lisbon. In 1977, after Sequeira Costa accepted a position as Distinguished Professor of Piano at the University of Kansas, Artur followed him to Lawrence, Kansas, in the United States. He continued working with Sequeira Costa until 1990, except for a brief interruption during which Artur also worked with other teachers, including Aldo Ciccolini, Géry Moutier and Bruno Rigutto at the Conservatoire de Paris. He attended the American School of Lisbon in his youth.

Artur Pizarro (born Lisbon, 1968) is an internationally-acclaimed Portuguese concert pianist. Designated with the prestigious title of Yamaha Artist, Pizarro won first prize in the 1987 Vianna da Motta International Music Competition and first prize in the 1990 Leeds International Pianoforte Competition. His piano technic/knowledge is linked directly to Liszt himself (3 generations apart): his teacher (for 17 years – and also stepfather) was a great portuguese pianist – Sequeira Costa-, whom had studied with José Vianna Da Motta, another world famous portuguese pianist; and this was one of the last pupils of Liszt.