David Theodor Schmidt

David Theodor Schmidt was born in Erlangen (Germany) in 1982. After his early piano studies there at a music-oriented high school, he became a student of Wolfgang Manz and Julia Goldstein-Manz in Nuremberg. After that he studied at the University of Music Karlsruhe with Sontraud Speidel and is currently continuing his studies at the Royal College of Music London with Kevin Kenner. In addition, he has attended master classes given by such well known musicians as Lew Naumov, Christopher Elton and Klaus Hellwig.

David has won first and second prizes in a number of national piano competitions, most notably the first prize at the National Bach Competition in Kothen in 2001. Also, he was awarded the Gerd-Bucerius scholarship of the ZEIT-Stiftung in the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben, the RCM´s Douglas Downie Study Award and the scholarship of the Chopin-Society Hanover in 2006.

After these successes he began an active concert career. He was invited to play recitals in Germany (e.g. Thuermer Hall in Bochum, Mendelssohn House in Leipzig, Bach Festival in Kothen), as well as in England and Russia (e.g. Tchaikovsky Conservatory Moscow, Vladimir Philharmonic Hall). Among the orchestras he has performed with are the Nuremberg Symphony, the Karlsruhe Chamber Orchestra, and the Vladimir Symphony Orchestra. These concerts received enthusiastic press reviews. The critic who wrote for the newspaper "Molva" (Russia) referred to him as a "great pianist" and praised his "high culture of pianism, his maturity, his brilliant technique and his variety of pianistic ways of expression".

In addition to playing concerts, he has made radio and television recordings. In co-production with the Bayerischer Rundfunk, he has recorded a CD with Bach transcriptions and works of Bach and Cesar Franck for the record label Famiro. This CD has been reviewed very positively in the press, e.g. Musicweb-International wrote:":..Schmidt´s performance is a triumph...He has power when required, but sensitivity too, while the piano sound is particularly sensitive and appealing" and Peter Cosse concluded in ´Klassik heute´:"... it seems to me, that this recording is one of the most important acoustical exclamation marks of recent months. Schmidt... a name to keep an eye on."

In 2007, David´s second CD is due to be released on the renowned record label PROFIL - Edition Günter Hänssler (Distribution: Naxos). The recording will be co-produced by the Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk.