Kristian Bezuidenhout

Kristian Bezuidenhout has established himself as one of the most versatile and exciting musicians of our time, both as a keyboard player and conductor. Born in South Africa, he began his studies in Australia, completed them at the Eastman School of Music (Rochester, NY), and now lives in London. After initial training as a modern pianist with Rebecca Penneys, he explored early keyboards, studying harpsichord with Arthur Haas, fortepiano with Malcolm Bilson, and continuo playing and performance practice with Paul O’Dette. He first gained international recognition at the age of 21 after winning the prestigious first prize and audience prize in the Bruges Fortepiano Competition.

Bezuidenhout is a regular guest soloist on fortepiano, harpsichord, and modern piano with the leading international ensembles including the Freiburger Barockorchester, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Leipzig Gewandhausorchester, Mozarteum Orchester, Camerata Salzburg, Orchestre des Champs Elysées, Les Arts Florissants, Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, Concertgebouw Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the Australian Chamber Orchestra. Along with Anne Sofie von Otter, he has performed with celebrated artists including John Eliot Gardiner, Philippe Herreweghe, Bernhard Haitink, Daniel Harding, Frans Brüggen, Trevor Pinnock, Giovanni Antonini, Rachel Podger, Carolyn Sampson, Mark Padmore & Matthias Goerne.

In addition to his work as a soloist, he is increasingly in demand as a conductor and continues to explore the music of the late 17th and early 18th centuries with groups including the English Concert, Tafelmusik, Collegium Vocale, Juilliard 415, Kammerakademie Potsdam, and Dunedin Consort. Bezuidenhout is Principal Guest Director of both Freiburger Barockorchester and English Concert. In 2025, he was made Associate Artist of the Irish Chamber Orchestra.

Bezuidenhout’s rich and award-winning discography of more than 30 albums—mostly for Harmonia Mundi—includes the complete keyboard music of Mozart (Diapason d’Or de l’Année, Caecilia Prize, and Jahrespreis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik); Schubert Die schöne Müllerin with Julian Prégardien; the complete piano concertos of Beethoven with the Freiburger Barockorchester; an ongoing cycle of the complete Mozart piano concertos with the Freiburger Barockorchester (ECHO Klassik); Bach violin sonatas with Isabelle Faust; Mozart violin sonatas with Petra Müllejans and Beethoven and Mozart lieder and Schumann’s Dichterliebe with Mark Padmore (Edison Award). In 2013, he was nominated as Gramophone Magazine’s Artist of the Year. Upcoming releases include two discs of Mozart piano concertos with Freiburger Barockorchester, recorded in 2024.

The 2025–26 season sees Bezuidenhout perform as a soloist and direct orchestras including the Royal Northern Sinfonia, Irish Chamber Orchestra, Dunedin Consort, Kammerakademie Potsdam, and Bochumer Symphoniker. Debuts include the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, which he play-directs, as well as the Tampere Philharmonic and SWR Symphonieorchester, as soloist. Bezuidenhout gives recitals across Europe with Isabelle Faust and Julian Pregardien and performances in North America /Canada, with regular partners Anne Sofie von Otter and Consone Quartet, as part of a residency at Bourgie Hall, Montreal.