Dorothy Khadem-Missagh

© Shirley Suarez

Dorothy Khadem-Missagh

Dorothy Khadem-Missagh, Austrian-born pianist characterized as a “breath of fresh air” (Gramophone Magazine) is a leading figure of a new generation of strong yet sensitive artists. Praised for performing “with a clarity that lets sunlight into even the busiest textures” (Richard Bradby) she has been awarded multiple prizes at renowned international  competitions like the Beethoven Competition Bonn.
 

From an early age onwards, she has been invited to perform at prestigious international concert venues as a pianist. In 2011 she gave her debut at the Golden Hall of Musikverein Vienna. Her debut at the Vienna Konzerthaus followed shortly thereafter. Dorothy Khadem-Missagh regularly performs at internationally renowned festivals such as the Mosel Musik Festival, Kyoto Int. Festival, Palermo Classica Festival, Liszt Festival Raiding, Styriarte Graz and Tiroler Festspiele Erl among others. Her concert-activities have taken her to more than 20 countries in Europe, Asia as well as Canada and the USA. Collaborations as a soloist with orchestra include the Tonkünstler Orchester, the Seoul Seongnam Philharmonic Orchestra, the Martinu Philharmonic Orchestra and Academia Allegro Vivo amongst others. As a passionate chamber musician, she performs in versatile ensembles with accomplished musicians including her “Vienna Vision” piano-trio with members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Since 2020 she has taken the podium as a conductor including appearances with the Wiener KammerOrchester and the Beethoven Frühling Festivalorchestra. 

Born in Austria into a family of musicians, Dorothy Khadem-Missagh continues the musical tradition in the fourth generation. She received her first piano lessons at the age of three and was admitted to the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna at the age of six, where she later studied with Noel Flores and Jan Jiracek amongst others, as well as with Pavel Giliov in Salzburg. She received important musical guidance and impulses from Martha Argerich, Rudolf Buchbinder, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Sir András Schiff, Menahem Pressler, Robert Levin and Lilya Zilberstein. As a conductor she has been working with Sian Edwards and Jane Glover. Coming from Vienna she cultivates the "Viennese sound" being a Bösendorfer Artist. 

Apart from her success at the International Beethoven Competition Bonn, the young pianist received numerous awards at international competitions. She is first prize laureate of the Int. Bela Bartók Competition, finalist of the New York International Piano Competition, prizewinner of the International Piano Competition ”Ricard Viñes“ and the International Piano Competition in Ettlingen, Germany, where she was especially awarded the Haydn-Prize. She was invited to participate at the Verbier Festival Academy as well as the Aspen Music Festival and Academy. In the Beethoven Jubilee Year 2020, she founded the festival Beethoven Frühling (“Beethoven spring”) which is held annually in places connected to Beethoven in Lower Austria and Vienna. Due to COVID-restrictions it was transformed into an online festival for the first two seasons and reached large audiences in collaboration with Austrian Broadcast ORF Ö1. The third season in 2022 was successfully held with live audiences at extraordinary venues. Numerous recordings document her outstanding musical work. Her album containing works of Ludwig van Beethoven as well as the world-premiere recording of his long forgotten contemporary Karl Traugott Zeuner was nominated for the prestigious Opus Klassik Award in multiple categories and has been highly praised by international critics. In 2021 the release of the Album of her piano-trio containing works by L.v. Beethoven, J. Brahms and H. Gál was awarded “Ö1-CD of the month” and received great acclaim in the BBC Music Magazine.