Paul Lewis

Paul Lewis is one of the foremost interpreters of Central European piano repertoire; his performances and recordings of Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert have received universal critical acclaim. He was awarded the Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to music, and the sincerity and depth of his musical approach have won him fans around the world.

This global popularity is reflected in the world-class orchestras with whom he works, including the Berlin Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, NHK Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw, and Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. His close relationship with Boston Symphony Orchestra led to his selection as the 2020 Koussevitzky Artist at Tanglewood.

Lewis often focuses on specific composers in projects that allow him to take audiences deep inside the works. In 2026 and 2027, he tours his Mozart+ series around the world, juxtaposing Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s lesser-known piano repertoire with works by composers such as Francis Poulenc, Frédéric Chopin, and Carl Maria von Weber to illuminate Mozart’s influences over subsequent generations as well as shine a light on works that are often overshadowed by his concertos. Previously, between 2022 and 2025, Lewis embarked on a Schubert Piano Sonata Series, presenting four programs of the completed sonatas at over 40 venues around the world.

With a natural affinity for Beethoven, Lewis has performed the composer’s complete piano concerto cycle all over the world and was the first pianist to present it in a single BBC Proms season in 2010. He has most recently performed it in 2025 with Eivind Aadland and Oslo Philharmonic. He also took part in the BBC’s three-part documentary Being Beethoven.

Beyond many award-winning Beethoven and Schubert recordings, his discography with Harmonia Mundi also demonstrates his characteristic depth of approach in Romantic repertoire such as Robert Schumann, Modest Mussorgsky, Johannes Brahms, and Franz Liszt. In March 2025, he gave the world premiere of Thomas Larcher’s Piano Sonata in Oviedo, Italy, and he continues to perform it.

In chamber music, Lewis works closely with tenor Mark Padmore in lied recitals around the world. They have recorded three Schubert song cycles together. 

He is co-artistic director of Midsummer Music, an annual chamber music festival held in Buckinghamshire, U.K. In May 2025, he was the first non-American pianist to chair the jury of the Cliburn Piano Competition.