Shai Wosner - About

I guess one way to describe receiving the BBT Award is being a kid in a candy store! It is such a terrific opportunity to realize some long-awaiting ideas, while sidestepping obstacles that young artists normally encounter. The support this award gives is truly unique and laudable because it combines the practical with the creative, through the collaboration with the Trust and its panel. And for that I am deeply grateful.

American pianist Shai Wosner has attracted international recognition for his exceptional artistry, musical integrity, and creative insight. His performances of a broad range of repertoire – from Mozart to the music of today – reflect a degree of virtuosity and intellectual curiosity that has made him a favourite among audiences and critics alike.

With the support of his BBT Award, Shai was able to take two important steps in his young career; the commissioning of a new concerto, along the ravines, by American composer Michael Hersch, and a debut solo recording on the Onyx Classics label, an imaginative pairing of works by Brahms and Schoenberg. Shai also participated in the 2006 BBT showcase tour in Aldeburgh, London, Brussels, Amsterdam, Hamburg and Vienna, led by Christian Tetzlaff.

In 2025 Shai became one of the first recipients of a BBT Artist Encore Award, his project bringing together musicians working with the NYC chapter of Music for Food with students from the Juilliard School to bring live music to a local food pantry, creating a series of sociable occasions for local communities in need.

Shai was supported with a BBT Award between 2005 and 2012 and a BBT Artist Encore Award in 2025.

For a current biography please visit shaiwosner.com or opus3artists.com

Read Shai’s blogs: Reflections on Michael Hersch’s along the ravines here; Eyjafjallajökull and me here; and Same Programme, Different Audience here

Photographs by Marco Borggreve