Sonia Achkar

Hailed equally by audience and press for her "profound musicality, refined sensitivity and wide colour palette“, German born pianist Sonia Achkar has performed in concert halls worldwide such as Mannheimer Rosengarten, Stuttgarter Liederhalle, Gewandhaus zu Leipzig, Semperoper Dresden, Philharmonie Ludwigshafen, Beethovenhalle Bonn, National Center for Performing Arts Beijing (China), Shanghai City Theater and His Majesty’s Theater Perth (Australien).

As a recitalist, soloist and accomplished chamber musician she has been invited to festivals throughout Europe, USA, Canada and Asia including Schleswig Holstein Musik Festival, Bachfest Leipzig, Kurt Weill Fest Dessau, Schwetzinger Festspiele, Carl Orff Festspiele (Germany), Thy Chamber Music Festival (Denmark), Toronto Summer Music Festival (Canada), Val Tidone Music Festival (Italy), Festival de Música de Cámara León (Spain) and Nacyphonies (France).

The young Steinway Artist has been granted numerous awards at national and international competitions such as the Val Tidone International Music Competition and Deutscher Musikwettbewerb. In 2017 she was recipient of the “Mozart Soloist Prize“ by the Mozart Society Mannheim, Germany. Her career has been supported by various foundations including Rotary International Foundation, Konrad-Adenauer Foundation, Richard-Wagner Foundation, PE-Trust, German Music Foundation, Culture Foundation Rhein-Neckar and Willy Robert Pitzer Trust.

A dedicated and passionate chamber musician, Sonia Achkar is a very diverse and highly sought after partner. Legendary artist Menahem Pressler called her a “very fine pianist and outstandingly sensitive musician. She is moreover an excellent chamber music collaborator, the kind string players love.“ Sonia Achkar regularly broadcasts and takes part in productions on German radio and television such as SWR, WDR, NDR, MDR, BR, Deutschlandradio Kultur and Phoenix.

Born into an international family amongst German and Polish roots, Sonia Achkar has started studying with Rudolf Meister and Ok-Hi Lee (University of Music and Performing Arts Mannheim) at the age of 13. She subsequently pursued a degree at the Jacobs School of Music (Bloomington, USA) with Menahem Pressler. Additionally, Sonia Achkar has received inspiration and guidance from Karl-Heinz Kämmerling, Andrzej Jasiński, Alain Planès and Joseph Kalichstein. Chamber music teachers include members of the Artemis Quartet, Beaux-Arts Trio, the Borodin Trio, Charles Neidich and Midori.

After working as an Assistant Instructor at the Jacobs School of Music (Bloomington, USA) and the University of Music and Performing Arts Mannheim (Germany), Sonia Achkar is currently teaching chamber music at the University of Music and Theatre "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig (Germany) and as a permanent faculty member at the University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart (Germany).