Kristian Bezuidenhout

Born in 1979, Kristian Bezuidenhout began his musical studies in Australia. He worked with Rebecca Penneys, Paul O’Dette, Malcolm Bilson, Robert Levin and Arthur Haas, and holds an advanced degree from the Eastman School of Music. In 2001, at the age of 21, he won both the First Prize in fortepiano and the Audience Prize at the Bruges Competition—an especially prestigious distinction, as the First Prize had been awarded only twice before in the competition’s history.

A native of South Africa, Bezuidenhout is a versatile musician who performs on the fortepiano, harpsichord, and modern piano. He has appeared in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia. As a chamber musician, he has played alongside Giuliano Carmignola, Pieter Wispelwey, Paul O’Dette, Daniel Hope and Malcolm Bilson. As a soloist, he has performed with the Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra, the Handel and Haydn Society, Concerto Köln, the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra under Paul Dyer, and the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra under Frans Brüggen. He frequently gives song recitals with tenor Jan Kobow.

Kristian has performed at numerous early-music festivals in Boston, Bruges, Venice and Utrecht, as well as in West Cork (Ireland), Brühl (Germany), Gstaad (Switzerland) and Savannah (United States). His New York and Boston debuts (at Carnegie Hall and Symphony Hall, respectively) were met with great enthusiasm. Richard Dyer of the Boston Globe described his performance of Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto on period instruments as “extraordinary” and “incredibly expressive.”

Bezuidenhout has taught fortepiano and 18th-century performance practice at the Eastman School of Music (Rochester). He has also been heard on American Public Radio’s Performance Today.