Macedonian pianist Simon Trpčeski has established himself as one of the most remarkable musicians to have emerged in recent years, praised not only for his powerful virtuosity and deeply expressive approach, but also for his charismatic stage presence and commitment to strengthening Macedonia’s cultural image.
Simon Trpčeski is a frequent soloist with the major North American orchestras, including the Cleveland and Philadelphia Orchestras, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the San Francisco, St. Louis, Seattle, Baltimore, Atlanta, Pittsburg and Boston Symphonies. Engagements with major European ensembles include the London Symphony, Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Netherlands Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Deutsche Symphonie-Orchester, Dresden Philharmonic, RSB Berlin, WDR Cologne, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Russian National Orchestra, Russian State Symphony, Orquesta Sinfonica de Galicia, Orchestre National de France, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Helsinki Philharmonic and St. Petersburg Philharmonic. Elsewhere he has performed with the New Japan, Seoul and Hong Kong Philharmonics, China Philharmonic, Sao Paulo and the Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne and New Zealand Symphonies.
Highlights of Mr. Trpčeski’s 2018-19 season in North America include summer festival appearances at Ravinia with the Chicago Symphony, Blossom Music Festival with the Cleveland Orchestra, Aspen and the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music (where he premieres a new concerto written by Macedonian composer Pande Shahov); and return appearances with the New York Philharmonic and the Chicago, National, Atlanta, Houston, Milwaukee, Utah, Nashville and Puerto Rico Symphonies. Internationally, he performs with the Oslo Philharmonic in Oslo and on tour in Spain, in the UK with the London Symphony, Philharmonic Orchestra and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, a debut with NHK Symphony, returns to New Zealand for a six-concert tour throughout the country, and plays recitals in Sydney, São Paulo, Seattle, Beijing, Shanghai and Adelaide.
In the 2017-18 season he undertook a three-concert residency at the Wigmore Hall, where he has a loyal and large following, and in October 2018 performed both Brahms concertos in a single concert with Joana Carneiro and the Orchestra Sinfonica Portuguesa.
Simon Trpčeski works regularly with a prominent list of conductors including Marin Alsop, Gustavo Dudamel, Cristian Măcelaru, Charles Dutoit, Jakob Hrusa, Vladimir Jurowski, Susanna Malkki, Andris Nelsons, Antonio Pappano, Vasily Petrenko, Robert Spano, Michael Tilson Thomas, Yuri Temirkanov, Neeme Järvi and David Zinman. An acclaimed recitalist, Mr. Trpčeski has given solo performances at major halls in New York, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., London, Paris, Amsterdam, Milan, Munich, Prague, Hamburg, Bilbao, Istanbul, Dublin and Tokyo.
Dedicated to making industry-defining recordings, Mr. Trpčeski has recorded for EMI Classics, Avie Records, Onyx Classics and Wigmore Hall Live. His first recording, released in 2002, featured works by Tchaikovsky, Scriabin, Stravinsky and Prokofiev, and received both the “Editor’s Choice” and “Debut Album” awards at the Gramophone Awards. His 2005 Rachmaninoff, 2007 Chopin and 2008 Debussy recordings received extensive praise from critics, and in 2010 and 2011, his interpretations of Rachmaninoff’s four piano concertos and the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic were recognized with Classic FM, Gramophone “Editor’s Choice” and Diapason d’Or distinctions. Mr. Trpčeski’s March 2012 recital at the Wigmore Hall was released on the “Wigmore Hall Live” label and was immediately hailed by The Telegraph as “Classical CD of the Week.”
His latest recording, featuring Prokofiev’s Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 3, was released in 2017, with The Guardian noting Mr. Trpčeski’s “fiery articulation, brazen rhythms [and] an ability to navigate corners with a swagger that feels sturdy and nimble at once.” Prior to that Mr. Trpčeski released Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 with Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in 2014 on the Onyx Classics label.
Mr. Trpčeski performs chamber music as often as he can at festivals such as Aspen, Verbier, Risor, Bergen, and the Baltic Sea Festival. He has a regular duo partnership with cellist Daniel Müller-Schott and recent performances have included a North American tour with Mr. Muller-Schott in Vancouver, Montreal, and Washington, D.C; appearances at the Concertgebouw, Wigmore Hall and in Bilbao; and trio performances with Julia Fischer and Mr. Müller-Schott at the Wigmore Hall and Dresden Philharmonie.
With the special support of KulturOp – Macedonia’s leading cultural and arts organization, Mr. Trpčeski is dedicated to help the younger generations of musicians. He was a member of the Faculty of Music in Skopje and enjoys giving master classes around the world, such as London, Manchester, Birmingham, Seattle, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Auckland, Hong Kong, Beijing, Berlin, Belgrade, Zagreb, Ljubljana, Oslo, to name a few. His Makedonissimo project, which he made together with the composer Pande Shahov dedicated to introducing the world to traditional Macedonian folk tunes and melodies, has appeared at the Wigmore Hall, Concertgebouw, the Lille Festival as well in Liverpool and Birmingham and on tour to Poland.
Born in Macedonia in 1979, Simon Trpčeski is a graduate of the School of Music at the University of St. Cyril and St. Methodius in Skopje, where he studied with Boris Romanov. He was previously named a BBC New Generation Artists, and in May 2003 he was honored with the Young Artist Award by the Royal Philharmonic Society. In December 2009 the President of Macedonia, H.E. Gjorge Ivanov, honored him with the Presidential Order of Merit, a decoration given to foreign and domestic dignitaries responsible for the affirmation of Macedonia abroad. Most recently, in September 2011, Mr. Trpčeski became the first-ever recipient of the title “National Artist of Macedonia”.
