Ruhr Piano Festival
The most important piano festival in the world
A steady stream of stars enthrals audiences: the Ruhr Piano Festival has become the largest piano festival in the world.
A spring festival of piano music that is second to none: Every year at the Ruhr Piano Festival the best pianists and most promising young artists showcase their skills on the grand piano. Since its inception in the late 1980s, the event, which is held in the Ruhr Metropolis, has become the most important of its kind the world.
Anyone who has had the opportunity to thrill audiences here is sure to return to the stage here in the years to come. International regulars at the Ruhr Piano Festival include stars like Argentina's Martha Argerich and Hélène Grimaud of France. Daniel Barenboim and Pierre-Laurent Aimard also often take a seat at the piano here. The likelihood of finding your favourite pianist amongst the illustrious group of guests at the Ruhr Piano Festival is high. Each year the programme includes up to 80 concerts.
But although the piano stands at the foreground of this music festival, it is far from the only instrument under the spotlight: trumpeters such as Till Bronner, vocalists such as Bobby McFerrin, violinists such as Anne-Sophie Mutter or even entire orchestras also appear during this multi-week event.
The Ruhr Piano Festival’s symbol is a bright red open grand piano, which travels throughout the Ruhr Area during the festival shows and is displayed wherever the music is playing each evening. The venues are as diverse as the region itself: former industrial sites, such as the Zollverein World Heritage site in Essen, the small halls of the moated Herten Castle or Hohenlimburg Castle in Hagen and large concert halls, such as Konzerthaus Dortmund with its masterful acoustics, all provide inviting settings for these events. The festival is not strictly limited to the geographical boundaries of the Ruhr Area, but also makes appearances in places like Wuppertal, Düsseldorf or Rheda-Wiedenbrück as well.
Dates: 2024, not yet determined
![The "Zeche Hannover", a former Colliery in Bochum, celebrates the ExtraSchicht., © RuhrTourismus / Kreklau](https://www.nrw-tourism.com/images/qmxjrxpnq6i-/xthe-zeche-hannover-a-former-colliery-in-bochum-celebrates-the.jpg.pagespeed.ic.ehw3QYcOHu.jpg "The "Zeche Hannover", a former Colliery in Bochum, celebrates the ExtraSchicht., © RuhrTourismus / Kreklau")
