Artist in residence of the OSR in 2020-21, Francesco Piemontesi is regarded internationally as one of the leading interpreters of the entire repertoire, from Baroque to Classical, Romantic to Modernist, and music of the present day. For the past 15 years, Francesco Piemontesi has been director of the Settimane Musicali di Ascona, Switzerland's second-oldest music festival. Following its 80th anniversary celebrations this year, he will hand over the reins to Christoph Müller.
He performs at major concert venues around the globe, appearing with the world’s greatest orchestras. This season, he playwith the Budapest Festival Orchestra, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, NDR Elbphilharmonieorchester, SWR Sinfonieorchester, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Filarmonica della Scala, Oslo and Helsinki Philharmonics, Orchestre National de France, Cleveland Orchestra, and the Chicago, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestras.
A consummate recital pianist, highlights include appearances at the Musikverein Wien, Auditorium Lyon, Rudolfinum Dvorak Hall, Tonhalle Zürich, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Schubertiade and the Wigmore Hall, where he is a regular favourite.
Francesco Piemontesi is an exclusive artist with Pentatone, for whom he has recorded Liszt, Schönberg, Messiaen, Ravel, Bach and Schubert. Now his focus is on Brahms, and a recording of Piano Concerto No. 2 and the Intermezzi with the Gewandhaus Orchestra under Manfred Honeck, is due for release in September 2025. The Piano Concerto No. 1 and Op. 118, also with the Gewandhaus Orchestra and Manfred Honeck, is planned for 2026.
