About
—John Perry
In Brief
Italian pianist Alessandro Deljavan brings a technical mastery, fearless imagination, and deeply personal musical language to his playing.
“Deljavan’s performance was revelatory in every respect. Everyone in the hall knew that they were hearing something special — something wonderful — from the very first notes.”
— Gregory Sullivan Isaacs, TheaterJones
He began playing piano before the age of two, gave his first performances at three, began winning international competitions from the age of five, and at nine won First Prize at the Concours Musical de France in Paris.
At the age of eighteen, Deljavan was invited to join the prestigious International Piano Academy Lake Como, where he studied under William Grant Naboré and worked with an extraordinary roster of artists and pedagogues including Dmitri Bashkirov, Fou Ts’ong, John Perry, Menahem Pressler, and Andreas Staier. During this time he made a decisive international appearance performing Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Mariinsky Theater Orchestra in St. Petersburg, an early milestone that signaled the breadth and seriousness of his artistry.
Since then, Deljavan has performed throughout Europe, Asia, and the Americas, appearing with orchestras such as the Fort Worth Symphony, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Israel Camerata Orchestra, Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, and Orchestra Haydn di Bolzano e Trento. His chamber partners have included the Takács, Sine Nomine, and Brentano Quartets, as well as Trio Laetitia, with whom he has recorded an album for Artalinna.
A prolific recording artist, Deljavan has released more than 80 albums, ranging from complete cycles of Chopin and Scriabin to projects on period instruments. His performances and recordings have earned international praise:
“Deljavan played Chopin’s B minor Étude with jaw-dropping virtuosity and heart-stopping eloquence.”
— Dallas Morning News
“One of the most interesting pianists I have heard in my life.”
— Fou Ts’ong
With interpretations that are probing, spontaneous, and emotionally compelling, Alessandro Deljavan stands as one of today’s most original pianists, committed to exploring the full expressive range of the instrument.
Full Biography
Alessandro Deljavan – Piano
Born of an Italian mother and Persian father, Alessandro Deljavan began learning to play piano before the age of two and gave his first performances at age three. He has since performed around the world including in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, China, Colombia, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States.
“Deljavan’s performance was revelatory in every respect. Everyone in the hall knew that they were hearing something special—something wonderful—from the very first notes. At the end, the spontaneous eruption of cheers was so different from the perfunctory ovation that any decent performance is awarded, that being a part of the thrilled crowd was a unique experience in itself.”
— Gregory Sullivan Isaacs, Theater Jones
“Alessandro Deljavan performed in the most stunningly beautiful and expressive way that no one who was there will forget—it was simply world-class!”
— Sverker Magnusson, Arvika News
Alessandro Deljavan has won top prizes in competitions including the Concours musical de France (1st Prize, Paris, 1996), Hummel Competition (2nd Prize, Bratislava, 2005), Gina Bachauer Young Artist Competition (5th Prize, 2005), Cliburn Competition (John Giordano Discretionary Award, 2009), Isangyun Competition (2nd Prize, Tongyeong, South Korea, 2010), and Cliburn Competition (Raymond E. Buck Discretionary Award, 2013).
He has performed with orchestras such as the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra (St. Petersburg, Russia), the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra (Fort Worth, Texas, USA), the Boston Philharmonic (Boston, Massachusetts, USA), the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi (Milan, Italy), Obiettivo Orchestra (Turin, Italy), Orchestra Sinfonica Leopolis (Atri, Italy), Orchestra Haydn di Bolzano e Trento (tour in Italy & Slovakia), Israel Camerata Orchestra (Tel Aviv, Israel), Wu Han Philharmonic Orchestra (Wu Han, China), and the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra (Vilnius, Lithuania), among others.
He has appeared at festivals such as the Festival International Piano Classique de Biarritz (Biarritz, France), Festival Chopin à Paris (Paris, France), Piano Intime Series (Montpellier, France), Glafsfjordens musikfestival (Arvika, Sweden), Bologna Festival (Bologna, Italy), Il Festival Piano Master (Gravedona, Italy), Orta Festival (Lago d’Orta, Italy), Gradus International Piano Festival (Aarhus, Denmark), Franz Liszt Festival (Albano Laziale, Italy), Festival Città di Morbegno (Morbegno, Italy), Festival Internazionale di Lapedona (Lapedona, Italy), Autunno Musicale (Como, Italy), the Bogotà International Piano Festival (Bogotà, Colombia) and Tippet Rise (Montana, USA).
His chamber-music partners have included the Takács Quartet, the Sine Nomine Quartet, the Brentano Quartet, Alissa Margulis (violin), and Alexander Buzlov (cello). He has toured extensively with the violinist Daniela Cammarano, with whom he has recorded several albums for the Aevea, Brilliant Classics, and Onclassical labels.
Alessandro has appeared in films such as Franz Liszt: The Pilgrimage Years (RAI – Italian TV), Virtuosity (Cliburn / PBS), and numerous live broadcasts on European radio. The live webcasts from the Cliburn competitions (2009 & 2013) were seen by over a million viewers in 155 countries.
In 2021 Alessandro inaugurated his own imprint, the AERAS Music Group, for which he has released the Bach Goldberg Variations and an album of works by Liszt including the complete Mephisto Waltzes and the Sonata in B Minor.
Alessandro Deljavan has a discography of over 80 albums on the Aeras, Aevea, Ars, Artalinna, Brilliant Classics, Challenge Classics, Evil Penguin Classics, Naxos, Onclassical, Pavane, Piano Classics, Stradivarius, Suonare, and Tactus labels.
A recent Artist Report for Alessandro Deljavan on Spotify listed:
957,000 fans
4,000,000+ streams
166,000 hours
65 countries
On YouTube, his recording of the complete Chopin Waltzes has received well over 1,500,000 streams to date.
Alessandro Deljavan graduated from the Conservatorio Statale di Musica “Giuseppe Verdi” (Milan, 2003) and the Istituto Gaetano Braga (Teramo, 2006). From 2005 to 2013 he was among the select young artists at the International Piano Academy Lake Como under the tutelage of the Academy’s artistic director, William Grant Naboré. He also pursued courses at the Mozarteum Salzburg, the Festival delle Nazioni in Città di Castello, and the Ottorino Respighi Foundation on St. George Island, Venice.
His teachers include Valentina Chiola, Piotr Lachert, Ricardo Risaliti, Enrico Belli, Eugenio Bagnoli, Lazar Berman, William Grant Naboré, Dimitri Bashkirov, Laurent Boullet, Fou Ts’ong, Dominique Merlet, John Perry, Menahem Pressler, Claude Frank, Richard Goode, and Andreas Staier.
He is currently Professor of Piano at the “Luisa d’Annunzio” Conservatory in Pescara, Italy, and he regularly returns to the International Piano Academy at Lake Como and APM School in Saluzzo to give masterclasses.
Current as of October 2025.
Timeline Highlights
Born February 1, 1987, in Giulianova (Teramo, Abruzzo), Italy. Before the age of two, he began playing the piano, showing an immediate natural affinity for the instrument.
Between ages two and four, he also studied the violin before deciding to devote himself entirely to the piano.
At 3, he gave his first public performance.
At 5, he won his first piano competition, 1st Prize, J.S. Bach National Piano Competition, (Sestri Levante, Italy), marking the beginning of a lifelong performing career. (1993)
At 9, he won First Prize at the Concours Musical de France (Paris), performing Schubert’s Scherzo in B-flat in a category with no age limit. (1996)
At 10, he entered the Milan Conservatory (Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi). (1997)
At 11, he attended a summer course at the Salzburg Mozarteum with Riccardo Risaliti. The assignment was Chopin Concerto No. 2, but Alessandro secretly was working on Liszt Concerto No. 2. It’s one of those mischievous things any eleven year old might do. (1998)
At 16, he graduated with top honors from the Conservatorio Statale di Musica “Giuseppe Verdi” in Milan. (2003)
At 17, he began studies at the International Piano Academy Lake Como, working closely with William Grant Naboré, Menahem Pressler, and Fou Ts’ong. (2004–2011)
At 18, he won Second Prize at the Hummel International Piano Competition (Bratislava) and Fifth Prize at the Gina Bachauer Young Artists Competition (Salt Lake City, USA). That same year, he performed Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 15 with the Mariinsky Theater Orchestra (St. Petersburg, Russia). (2005)
At 19, he conducted from the keyboard Mozart Piano Concerto No. 12 in A Major, K. 414 and Piano Concerto No. 19 in F Major, K. 459 with the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi (Milan, Italy). He also began teaching privately and gave his first masterclass. (2006)
At 22, he received the John Giordano Discretionary Award at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (Fort Worth, USA). (2009)
At 23, he won Second Prize at the Isangyun International Piano Competition (Tongyeong, South Korea) and was appointed professor in the Italian Conservatory system — the youngest ever at that time. (2010)
At 26, he earned the Raymond E. Buck Discretionary Award at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (Fort Worth, USA). (2013)
At 27, he began recording professionally and has since released more than 80 albums, encompassing a vast range of repertoire and styles. (2014–present)
Of particular note are his deeply personal interpretations of the Chopin Études, which have become a hallmark of his artistry. He has been requested to perform them on numerous occasions, including in Belgium, China, Colombia, France, Italy, South Korea, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States, and was chosen to open the Festival Chopin de Paris with them — a distinction that reflects both the depth and individuality of his musical voice. Today, Alessandro Deljavan continues an active career as a performer, recording artist, and teacher in Italy and abroad.
Selected Awards & Honors
- Concours Musical de France — First Prize, Paris (1996)
- Hummel International Piano Competition — Second Prize, Bratislava (2005)
- Gina Bachauer Young Artists Competition — Fifth Prize, Salt Lake City (2005)
- Van Cliburn International Piano Competition — John Giordano Discretionary Award (2009); Raymond E. Buck Discretionary Award (2013)
- Isangyun International Piano Competition — Second Prize, Tongyeong (2010)
The Lake Como Years
There is something about the International Piano Academy at Lake Como.
From the outside, it appears to be a kind of temple of pedagogy, replete with historically great teachers who crown the experience there. And with piano being so much of the time a solo sport, one might say that it is a place where the participants actually function more like a team, rather than opposing sides or rivals.
So for the participants it becomes a kind of fellowship, where everyone is developing together along the many dimensions that make up the study of music around this large piece of furniture.
When asked about his time there, Alessandro said:
“First of all, I can say that until the very last moment I didn’t want to go and audition for the academy.
What happened was that my mother found the school’s phone number and spoke directly with Maestro Naboré, who happened to be in his office at the time. Maestro Naboré had already heard of me, because a few months earlier—when I was still 17—I had taken part in the Busoni Competition and, of course, had been eliminated in the first round. But someone had spoken to him about me, and he arranged an audition with my mother—one that I didn’t even know about until a few days before it happened.
By then my ticket was already booked, and I was no longer in a position to refuse that meeting. My mother was absolutely crucial in transforming my life, which from that moment took a completely different direction.
After that very first audition with Maestro Naboré, he told me I wasn’t yet ready to enter a school of that level—so I went back home, quite furious, to be honest.
About twenty days later, he called me and told me to come immediately to the school for a masterclass with Pressler. Of course, I had absolutely no idea who Pressler was, and I went to play a Schubert sonata. There was hardly even a lesson—Maestro Pressler simply said, ‘I would like to work with this boy; I hope he’ll be at my next masterclass.’
From that day on I became a regular student of the academy’s courses, and at that time everyone there was at least five years older than I was. I remember meeting, during my first year, Cédric Pescia and Davide Franceschetti—both of whom, the following year, were on the jury of the Clara Haskil Competition, where I was competing. It was very strange for me to have two fellow students from the academy sitting on my international competition jury.
I developed a very special bond with several of the students I met there, and I have to say it’s wonderful to see how each of their careers has evolved. It’s also very special to have stayed in touch with some of them—maybe not constantly, but always in a sincere and extremely positive way.
I can say that almost from the start I was elected ‘chef’ of the group: in the afternoons after classes we’d go shopping, and I’d cook for everyone—including the Maestri—or at least for some of the students. Fou Ts’ong was absolutely crazy about my pasta all’arrabbiata; it was his favorite sauce for pasta.
My days by the lake were the opposite of my real life: no routine at all—we’d study at night and sleep during the day—and there was always some kind of surprise.
All the generosity I experienced there, I’ve always tried to bring with me in life, and especially into my piano classes.”
• • •
“Music begins where words end.” — Claude Debussy