Florian Wiek

Germany

Florian Wiek was born into a family of visual artists in 1972, and has made a name for himself through an international concert career that has seen him perform in venues including the Philharmonic halls in Berlin and Cologne, the Hamburg Musikhalle and the Beethovenhalle in Bonn, as well as at numerous international festivals.  He is at home in most musical configurations – from solo recitals and concerti with orchestras through ensemble work to large-scale chamber music and Lieder.  His repertoire ranges from baroque works to new compositions, and the music of the first Viennese school plays a focal role.  The exploration of this eloquent yet sparing musical language constantly poses new challenges for Wiek, something which has been reflected in programmes throughout his entire musical career. His piano studies led him to Prof. Günter Ludwig at the Cologne Musikhochschule and later to French pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard at the Conservatoire national superieur de Paris.  Florian Wiek completed his studies at the Hamburg Hochschule for Music and Theater with a Soloist-Diploma.  In 1998, he won first prize in the Beethoven Competition at the Cologne Musikhochschule and received the same distinction at the Elise-Meyer Competition (Hamburg) in 2001. Concert tours have taken Florian Wiek across Germany and Europe, as well as to Israel, Asia and South America, where he performed as soloist with the Orquesta Sinfonica de Chile. His performances have been recorded and broadcast by numerous radio and television stations (WDR, NDR, HR, SWR, DW, SfB, ARD, ZDF). In 1999, Florian Wiek was winner of the Germany Music Competition. One month later, he was also awarded with the first prize and gold medal at the “Maria Canals” international competition in Barcelona. Alongside his many live broadcasts, a recording of works by Brahms, Beethoven and Shostakovich is available on the Ars Musici label (Freiburg, 2000). In 2002, he founded Trio Wiek with flautist Christina Fassbender and cellist Justus Grimm.  As laureates of the German Music Competition, the trio performed a series of concerts throughout Germany, sponsored by the German Music Council.  This ensemble has also performed at numerous international festivals, and has recently released a commercial recording of trios by Carl Maria von Weber, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy and Louise Farrenc. Further CD recordings: Chambermusic by Philippe Gaubert (5 Diapason) – Fuga libera 2009, Flute Trios by Beethoven, Czerny, Hummel and Wilms  – Hännsler Profil 2010,. Chambermusic by Mel Bonis – Hännsler classic 2007. In the autumn of 2004, Florian Wiek was appointed Professor of Piano and Chamber Music at the University of Music in Stuttgart. In addition to this he appears frequently as a member of competition juries and gives masterclasses abroad in Europe, Asia and South America.