A recognized figure in the Belgian musical world, Johan Schmidt has earned remarkable renown for both his virtuosity and sensitivity. Born in 1964 and immersed in a setting conducive to music and artistic creativity since childhood, Johan Schmidt literally learned to communicate through the keys of his piano, developing his passion through music imbued with mixed feelings: melodious, lyrical, dark, exhilarating, or heartbreaking, allowing a wide range of emotions to shine through, which are still reflected in his performances today. Initially a student of Master Eduardo del Pueyo, he then honed his skills with Master Karl-Heinz Kämmerling in Hanover and Master Yevgeny Malinin. Over time, he has participated in prestigious international competitions and has been awarded several times. Notably, he was:
· A laureate of the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition of Belgium (Brussels), where he also won the RTBF Audience Award.
· First Prize at the Maria Callas Competition (Athens).
· Third Prize at the Tchaikovsky International Competition (Moscow).
· First Prize at the Japan Competition (Tokyo).
· A laureate of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (Fort Worth, USA).
Johan Schmidt has conquered the international piano scene, thanks to both his personality and his musical expression, which is artistically deep and technically masterful. A sought-after and acclaimed artist by the public, he regularly performs with major Belgian orchestras such as:
· The National Orchestra of Belgium
· The Philharmonic Orchestra of Liège
· The Flanders Philharmonic Orchestra
A professional pianist with an international career, he is regularly invited to perform as a soloist in prestigious, world-renowned venues, including:
· The Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels (Belgium)
· The Châtelet Auditorium and Théâtre de la Ville in Paris (France)
· The Rachmaninoff Hall in Moscow (Russia)
· The Herodes Atticus Theater in Athens (Greece)
· The Concertgebouw in Amsterdam (Netherlands)
· The Gasteig in Munich and Schauspielhaus in Berlin (Germany)
· The Tel Aviv Museum (Israel)
· The Suntory and Casals Halls in Tokyo, Symphony Hall in Osaka (Japan)
· The Shanghai Oriental Art Center, Grand Theatre of Qingdao, and Dalian Theater (China), etc.
For many years, this renowned concert pianist has also performed alongside famous international orchestras, such as:
· The New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra
· The Athens Philharmonic Orchestra
· The Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
· The Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra
· The National Orchestra of France (Lille)
· The Qingdao Orchestra (China), Notably under the direction of renowned conductors such as: Pierre Bartholomée, Theodore Bloomfield, Jean-Claude Casadesus, Paul Daniel, Günter Neuhold, †Karl-Anton Rickenbacher, †Jerzy Semkow, †Frank Schipway, Ken Takaseki...
During his prestigious career, his interest in chamber music has led him to collaborate with prominent figures such as:
· Clarinetist Ronald Van Spaendonck
· Violinists Augustin Dumay, Elsa Grether, Eyal Shiloach
· Cellist David Cohen
· Violinist Laurent Albrecht Breuninger
· Cellist Jérôme Pernoo
· Clarinetist Pierre Génisson
· Violinist Yuzuko Horigome
· Pianist Michel Béroff
· Pianist Marie-Josèphe Jude
· Harpist Marie-Pierre Langlamet
· Flutist Sibel Pensel
· The Mahler Piano Quartet, the American String Quartet, and many others.
In the spirit of sharing expertise and the joy of offering new interpretations of timeless compositions, Johan Schmidt co-founded the Artis Keyboard Trio with two virtuosos, Eyal Shiloach (violin) and David Cohen (cello). They toured in Israel (with concerts in Jerusalem, Haifa, and Tel Aviv). In recent months, Johan Schmidt has once again formed exceptional duos with other talented musicians, and the interpretation of the works has been, once again, sublime. For example, he has shared the stage with:
· Axel de Jenlis, cellist
· Fidosi Kerchev, pianist
· Tatiana Samouil, violinist
· Ania Semkina, pianist ...
His preferred repertoire includes works by Franz Liszt, Ludwig van Beethoven, as well as renowned Russian composers. Some of his performances have been broadcast on radio or television, such as the American Public Broadcasting Service Network (USA), ZDF (Germany), NHK (Japan), VRT and RTBF (Belgium), and TV5.
This passionate artist with a keen artistic sense has recorded for EMI, Fontec (Japan), EMS Record, Musica Numeris (Cyprus), and also under the labels Azur Classical, Cyprès, and Le Chant de Linos... Many of his musical interpretations are also available on CD albums.
Throughout his career, Johan Schmidt has also received warm accolades from charitable organizations: for example, he was awarded the Leonard de Vinci Prize by the Rotary International Club in 1995, honoring a young European with scientific or artistic talent.
This seasoned pianist has gained significant experience, making him a highly sought-after teacher in the musical sphere today. In addition to teaching at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels (Belgium) since 2011, he regularly leads Master Classes at various institutions around the world, such as:
· The International Summer Academy in Nice
· The Grand Nancy Summer Academy
· The Winter Academy in Paris
· The Forum Musikae in Madrid (Spain)
· The Talent Music Summer Courses & Festival in Brescia (Italy), He also teaches at the Piano Forum in Sendai (Japan) and offers Master Classes in Tokyo & Nagoya (Japan), as well as at the University of Science & Technology in Qingdao (China).
Johan Schmidt is also frequently invited to serve as a jury member for prestigious international music competitions such as:
· The Manhattan International Music Competition in New York (USA)
· The André Dumortier International Competition in Paris (France)
· The Svetislav Stančić International Piano Competition in Zagreb (Croatia).