Sophie Pacini
Concert pianist, festival founder and ambassador for classical music – born in Munich in 1991.
Since her concert debut at the age of eight and her training at the Institute for Gifted Students of the Mozarteum Salzburg, Sophie Pacini has performed in many of the world’s leading concert halls, including the Berlin Philharmonie, the Philharmonie and Prinzregententheater Munich, Suntory & Orchard Hall Tokyo, KKL Lucerne, Wiener Konzerthaus, Laeiszhalle Hamburg, Beethovenhalle Bonn, Hong Kong Concert Hall, La Seine Musicale Paris, Tonhalle Zurich, Liederhalle Stuttgart, Herkulessaal Munich, Konzerthaus Berlin, Konzerthaus Dortmund and Kurhaus Wiesbaden.
Since her concert debut at the age of eight and her training at the Institute for Gifted Students of the Mozarteum Salzburg, Sophie Pacini has performed in many of the world’s leading concert halls, including the Berlin Philharmonie, the Philharmonie and Prinzregententheater Munich, Suntory & Orchard Hall Tokyo, KKL Lucerne, Wiener Konzerthaus, Laeiszhalle Hamburg, Beethovenhalle Bonn, Hong Kong Concert Hall, La Seine Musicale Paris, Tonhalle Zurich, Liederhalle Stuttgart, Herkulessaal Munich, Konzerthaus Berlin, Konzerthaus Dortmund and Kurhaus Wiesbaden. She gives acclaimed recitals at international festivals such as the Lucerne Piano Festival, Klavier-Festival Ruhr, Piano aux Jacobins Toulouse, Kammermusikfest Lockenhaus with Gidon Kremer, MDR Musiksommer, Rheingau Musik Festival, Young Euro Classic Berlin, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Progetto Martha Argerich.
As a soloist she appears with orchestras such as the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Camerata Salzburg, Dresdner Philharmonie, Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Staatskapelle Weimar, Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Munich Radio Orchestra.
Sophie Pacini has received a number of major awards: “Young Artist of the Year” at the International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) and the ECHO Klassik as “Young Artist of the Year 2015 (Piano)”. She won the Prix Groupe Edmond de Rothschild at the Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad under jury chairman Dmitri Bashkirov, and the Deutschlandfunk Förderpreis at the Musikfest Bremen as “one of the greatest talents of her generation”.
A project particularly close to the Munich-born pianist’s heart is her own festival “Nuancen”, founded in 2023 in her home town of Aying.
Her albums “In Between” (2018), “Rimembranza” (2020) and “Puzzle” (2022) went straight into the top ten of the German classical charts. With her current album “bittersweet” (2025) Sophie Pacini again strikes a chord: inspired by a moving concert in a Munich women’s shelter, she created a very personal diary that is also meant as musical consolation for people in personal crises.
For many years Sophie Pacini has been committed to bringing classical music to children and young people and to making it accessible to everyone, everywhere. She develops new concert and broadcast formats for radio and television, such as the “Musiksprechstunde” on SWR and “Das geheime Leben der Tonarten” on Deutschlandfunk.
Sophie is a full member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts.
A close personal and artistic friendship connects Sophie with the legendary Martha Argerich, with whom she regularly performs selected duo concerts.
(Biography 2025 – please do not use older material)
Prizes & honours
ICMA2017
In 2017 Sophie received the International Classical Music Award as “Young Artist of the Year”, in recognition of her distinctive artistic profile and her album “Solo Piano” for Warner Music.
ECHO Klassik2015
In 2015 Sophie was named “Young Artist of the Year” at the ECHO Klassik, honouring her young, intense and successful career and her album “Chopin” for the CAvi label.
Deutschlandfunk Förderpreis2011
In 2011 Deutschlandfunk awarded the then 19-year-old Sophie its Förderpreis and has since supported her with numerous CD productions and radio features in word and music.
Rising Star2015
In 2015 the city of Mönchengladbach awarded Sophie its cultural prize “Rising Star”, honouring her artistic work in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad2011
In 2011 Sophie won the renowned Prix Groupe Edmond de Rothschild at the Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad under jury chairman Prof. Dmitri Bashkirov. Along with concert engagements in Switzerland, the prize funded her first album “Schumann & Mozart” with the Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz for Onyx.
Charts
Her latest album “bittersweet” for Deutsche Grammophon (digital) entered the German classical charts immediately, as did her previous albums “In Between”, “Rimembranza” and “Puzzle”. Tully Potter of the Daily Mail UK chose “In Between” as “Album of the Year”.
European Academy of Sciences and Arts
Sophie is a full member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts.
“With Sophie Pacini, the expression of feeling never becomes an end in itself: everything remains play, art, reflection – surprising and illuminating in every moment.”Neue Zürcher Zeitung
“Sophie Pacini is one of the most exciting and intelligent pianists of the young generation.”RONDO
“The ideal interpreter of 19th-century piano music.”MDR Kultur
“One of the greatest talents of her generation”Deutschlandfunk
Book Sophie Pacini
for your concert
Solo recital, soloist with orchestra, chamber music or a concert with moderation – we look forward to hearing from you.
