Sebastian Knauer

Sebastian Knauer can look back at a career spanning more than three decades since his debut at the age of 14 at the Laeiszhalle in his hometown Hamburg.

He has performed in more than 50 countries across 4 continents, playing at important venues, festivals and series in cities such as Berlin, Munich, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, London, Zurich, Vienna, Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, Milan, Warsaw, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Seoul & Tokyo.

Sebastian Knauer‘s repertoire is varied and extensive and is currently reflected in more than 20 highly praised CD recordings. For his CD “άberBach” he has been awarded with the Klassik ECHO in 2017. The Piano concerto „This is (not) Beethoven – Variations for Piano & Orchestra“, which Sebastian Knauer commissioned from composer Arash Safaian, had been released on CD (BMG/Modern Recordings) in August 2020 and entered the German Classic Charts (#6) and the US Billboard Charts (#15) shortly after.

He performed all 27 Mozart Piano concertos and all Haydn concertos with the Hamburg Philharmonic and the Bamberg Symphony, leading both orchestras from the piano. He also performed with the Dresden Staatskapelle, the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, the Berlin Konzerthausorchester, Philharmonia Zurich, Bournemouth Symphony, the Vienna, Zurich, Paris, Israel and San Francisco Chamber Orchestras, the Camerata Salzburg, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Orquestra Nacional de Espaρa, the Orquestra Sinfςnica de Barcelona I Nacional de Catalunya, the New York City Opera Orchestra and the Shanghai Philharmonic, conducted by Sir Roger Norrington, Fabio Luisi, Thomas Hengelbrock, Neeme Jδrvi, Vladimir Fedosseyew, Ingo Metzmacher, Philippe Entremont, Simone Young or Jaap van Zweden.

Being a passionate chamber musician, Sebastian Knauer performed in a number of projects with such great musicians as the Emerson String Quartet, Renaud Capuηon, Daniel Hope, Sabine Meyer, Albrecht Mayer, Sol Gabetta, Anne Sofie von Otter and Hermann Prey as well as with the Hamburg Ballet and their choreographer John Neumeier, the percussionist Stewart Copeland („The Police“) and the NDR Big Band.

Since 2001 he creates “Word meets Music” projects with acclaimed actors like Martina Gedeck, Iris Berben, Katja Riemann, Golden Globe winner Klaus Maria Brandauer, Ulrich Tukur and, at her lifetime, the actress Hannelore Elsner.

Sebastian Knauer is founder and Artistic Director of the Festival “mozart@augsburg” and is also Artistic Director of the “Internaionale Musikfestwoche Bad Berleburg” and the Festival “Ludwig FUN Beethoven” in the City of Aachen.