Niel Du Preez

Niel du Preez has inspired live and radio audiences in the UK, continental Europe and his native South Africa with his expressive and poetic solo playing, performances with leading orchestras and collaborations with chamber musicians. His most recent collaboration comes in the form of a duo with Paris-based clarinettist Myriam Carrier. Upcoming performances and masterclasses are scheduled for the 2020 ArtePiano Masterclass Series in March, June and November, as well as solo recitals in England, South Africa, Germany and France. Recent performances include solo and duo recitals in Perth Australia, Beijing China, Frankfurt Germany, St. Martin-in-the-Field in London, St. John’s Smith Square and a concert tour in South Africa. Other performances include recitals for the Blüthner Piano Concert Series, the Schubert Society, as well as a performance of Saint Saëns Piano Concerto no. 5 and Shostakovich Piano Concerto no. 2 in central London. Niel was awarded DAAD & SAMRO scholarships for overseas studies and has won numerous prizes at various national and international competitions, including the Oude Meester and FORTE music competitions in South Africa and the International Silvio Bengali Piano Competition in Italy. He studied at the Stellenbosch Conservatoire of Music in South Africa, the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover and the Staatlichen Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe in Germany. Former teachers include Christopher Oakden, Peter Nelson, Kaya Han and Simone Kirsch, and over time he has engaged with various acclaimed pianists and teachers such as Ari Vardi, Karl-Heinz Kämmerling, Peter Feuchtwanger, Andzrej Jasinsky, Peter Eicher, Martino Tirimo, Nelly-Ben Or, Melvyn Tan and Graham Fitch. Today Niel is a member of faculty at the St. Paul’s Cathedral School and King’s College School in London where he teaches piano. Recently he has been appointed as an Artist for TIPA (Tokyo International Piano Association). He is also the Artistic Director of the newly found E-Piano Competition and ArtePiano Masterclass Series held in Sankt Goar, Germany – www.arte-piano.com

“The music reached a state of profound intimacy through his strongly expressive playing” – Badische Neueste Nachrichten