Orion Weiss

One of the most sought-after soloists and chamber music collaborators today, Orion Weiss is a “brilliant pianist” (The New York Times) with “powerful technique and exceptional insight” (The Washington Post). He has dazzled audiences worldwide with his “head-spinning range of colors” (Chicago Tribune) and has performed with all of the major orchestras of North America and at all of the major venues and music festivals. 

In February 2025, Weiss released Arc III, the final album in his recital trilogy on First Hand Records. Recent performances include cycles of Beethoven’s complete violin sonatas with violinist James Ehnes; a return to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, led by Michael Tilson Thomas; his debut with the National Symphony Orchestra, led by Ken-David Masur; and performances in Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, Hong Kong, and Seattle. Additional highlights include Weiss’s David Geffen Hall debut in New York with the American Symphony Orchestra, performances of the Goldberg Variations at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and Newport Classical, performances in Italy, London, and Norway, and a tour with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. His recording with Augustin Hadelich won Opus Klassik’s Best Chamber Music Recording of 2025.

Known for his affinity for chamber music, Weiss performs at venues and festivals around the United States with artists such as violinists James Ehnes, Augustin Hadelich, and William Hagen; pianists Michael Stephen Brown and Shai Wosner; and many string quartets, including the Ariel, Parker, and Pacifica Quartets.

A native of Ohio, Weiss attended the Cleveland Institute of Music and made his Cleveland Orchestra debut performing Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in 1999. That same year, with less than 24 hours notice, Weiss stepped in to replace André Watts for a performance of Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Weiss’s awards include the Classical Recording Foundation’s Young Artist of the Year, Gilmore Young Artist Award, an Avery Fisher Career Grant, and more. His teachers include Paul Schenly, Jerome Lowenthal, and Sergei Babayan. In 2004, he graduated from the Juilliard School, where he studied with Emanuel Ax. Learn more: www.orionweiss.com.