About
Laureate of multiple international competitions and awards, Switzerland-based Belarusian pianist Denis Linnik is recognised as a captivating soloist, devoted chamber musician, explorer of rare repertoire, and an enthusiast in the fields of contemporary and jazz music.
His competition successes include First Prizes at the XXXI Rome International Piano Competition (Italy), the Kiefer Hablitzel Musikpreis (Switzerland), the XXVIII Cantù International Piano and Orchestra Competitions (Italy), and the CIS Delphic Games, as well as prizes at the UNISA (South Africa), Sydney (Australia), and Horowitz (Ukraine) International Piano Competitions. In recent years Denis has also gained wide attention and praising reviews for his performances at major international competitions, reaching the semifinals of the Queen Elisabeth Competition (Belgium, 2025) and the ARD International Competition (Germany, 2022), as well as the quarterfinals of The Cliburn (USA, 2022).
His recent recording of Martinů’s complete works for piano and cello with Vilem Vlček (Supraphon, 2025) was named among Gramophone’s best recordings of the year. In 2022 his debut solo CD Night Wind was released on KNS Classical, featuring works by Janáček, Brahms, and Medtner. In 2023 he received the Jeunes Étoiles Audience Award at the Gstaad Menuhin Festival, shared with his cello colleague Samuel Niederhauser.
His competition successes include First Prizes at the XXXI Rome International Piano Competition (Italy), the Kiefer Hablitzel Musikpreis (Switzerland), the XXVIII Cantù International Piano and Orchestra Competitions (Italy), and the CIS Delphic Games, as well as prizes at the UNISA (South Africa), Sydney (Australia), and Horowitz (Ukraine) International Piano Competitions. In recent years Denis has also gained wide attention and praising reviews for his performances at major international competitions, reaching the semifinals of the Queen Elisabeth Competition (Belgium, 2025) and the ARD International Competition (Germany, 2022), as well as the quarterfinals of The Cliburn (USA, 2022).
His recent recording of Martinů’s complete works for piano and cello with Vilem Vlček (Supraphon, 2025) was named among Gramophone’s best recordings of the year. In 2022 his debut solo CD Night Wind was released on KNS Classical, featuring works by Janáček, Brahms, and Medtner. In 2023 he received the Jeunes Étoiles Audience Award at the Gstaad Menuhin Festival, shared with his cello colleague Samuel Niederhauser.
He has performed as a recitalist in Switzerland, Belarus, Ukraine, Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Finland, Russia, Czech Republic, Poland, Belgium, and the USA, and at festivals such as Prague Spring, SOLsberg, Mizmorim, Wien Modern, ArtDIALOG, Zeiträume, 100% Classique, and multiple times at the Gstaad Menuhin (2019, 2023, 2024), Davos (2023, 2024), and Interfinity (2023–2026) Festivals. In 2024 he also performed at the World Economic Forum in Davos. His concerts have been broadcast on SWR2, BR-Klassik, SRF2, and 3CAT.
As a soloist, Denis has appeared with the Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia, Basel Symphony Orchestra, Munich Chamber Orchestra, Roma Tre Orchestra, National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine, Metamorphosis String Orchestra, M. Zhora Philharmonic Orchestra and others.
A significant part of Denis’ musical activity is devoted to chamber music, frequently in duos with cello, violin, clarinet, or viola, as well as in larger formations. His partners have included cellists Vilem Vlček, Samuel Niederhauser, and Maksim Barbash, violinists Ilya Gringolts, Dmitry Smirnov, Esther Hopper, and Yury Revich, violist Sao Soulez, flutists Alberto Navarro and Tomasz Sierant, and many more.
Denis is also active in contemporary music. As a repetiteur and ensemble member he has participated in productions of contemporary operas by Michael Hersch, Du Yun, Pascal Dusapin, and Sivan Eldar with Lucerne Theater, Ensemble Phoenix, and Interfinity. He is regularly invited as correpetitor in the Lucerne Festival Contemporary-Conducting Program. In 2023–24 he held the position of contemporary music repetiteur at the Hochschule der Künste Bern, before deciding to continue as an independent musician.
As a soloist, Denis has appeared with the Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia, Basel Symphony Orchestra, Munich Chamber Orchestra, Roma Tre Orchestra, National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine, Metamorphosis String Orchestra, M. Zhora Philharmonic Orchestra and others.
A significant part of Denis’ musical activity is devoted to chamber music, frequently in duos with cello, violin, clarinet, or viola, as well as in larger formations. His partners have included cellists Vilem Vlček, Samuel Niederhauser, and Maksim Barbash, violinists Ilya Gringolts, Dmitry Smirnov, Esther Hopper, and Yury Revich, violist Sao Soulez, flutists Alberto Navarro and Tomasz Sierant, and many more.
Denis is also active in contemporary music. As a repetiteur and ensemble member he has participated in productions of contemporary operas by Michael Hersch, Du Yun, Pascal Dusapin, and Sivan Eldar with Lucerne Theater, Ensemble Phoenix, and Interfinity. He is regularly invited as correpetitor in the Lucerne Festival Contemporary-Conducting Program. In 2023–24 he held the position of contemporary music repetiteur at the Hochschule der Künste Bern, before deciding to continue as an independent musician.
Born in Maryina Horka, Belarus, Denis began piano studies at the age of six at the local music school. Within his first year his talent was recognised, and he was invited to join the class of Honoured Teacher of Belarus Tatiana Sergievskaya at the Gymnasium-College of Arts for gifted children in Minsk named after Ivan Akhremchik. At fourteen, he entered the class of Honoured Artist of Belarus Vladimir Nekhaenko, continuing his studies at the Belarusian State Academy of Music. These formative years were marked by numerous international prizes at children’s and youth competitions, major state awards, performances at all of the country’s leading classical venues, and a growing reputation as one of Belarus’s most promising young pianists.
In 2017 Denis moved to Switzerland to study at the Hochschule für Musik Basel. He completed his bachelor’s and two master’s degrees in solo performance and music pedagogy with distinction, studying first with Professor Claudio Martínez Mehner and later also with Professors Zoltán Fejérvári and Filippo Gamba. In 2025–2026, he pursued further artistic development with Professor Rena Shereshevskaya at the École Normale de Musique de Paris “Alfred Cortot”.
Since 2026, Denis Linnik has been a lecturer and teaching assistant in the piano department at the Hochschule für Musik Basel.
In 2017 Denis moved to Switzerland to study at the Hochschule für Musik Basel. He completed his bachelor’s and two master’s degrees in solo performance and music pedagogy with distinction, studying first with Professor Claudio Martínez Mehner and later also with Professors Zoltán Fejérvári and Filippo Gamba. In 2025–2026, he pursued further artistic development with Professor Rena Shereshevskaya at the École Normale de Musique de Paris “Alfred Cortot”.
Since 2026, Denis Linnik has been a lecturer and teaching assistant in the piano department at the Hochschule für Musik Basel.
Denis Linnik