Paul Lewis

Who is Paul Lewis?

Paul Lewis is an English classical pianist. His father worked at the Liverpool docks and his mother was a local council worker; there were no musicians in his family background.

Lewis began by playing the cello, the only instrument for which his school could offer him tuition. At the age of 14 he was accepted by Chetham's School of Music in Manchester, where his piano studies blossomed. His teachers included Ryszard Bakst, Joan Havill and Alfred Brendel. His first international achievement was the second prize at the 1994 World Piano Competition in London. He also won the Dudley and Royal Overseas League Piano Competitions.

Lewis is strongly affiliated with the Wigmore Hall, London. He has played at many prestigious venues and festivals worldwide and with many notable orchestras and conductors.

Lewis performed all 32 of the Beethoven piano sonatas, on tour in the United States and Europe, between the 2005 and 2007 seasons, in parallel with his complete recording of the cycle for Harmonia Mundi. Each of these CD releases has been included in Gramophone magazine's "Editor's Choice", and in August 2008, volume 4 of the series was awarded Gramophone's "Best Instrumental" recording and "Best Recording of the Year".