Dutch pianist Hannes Minnaar began music lessons at age seven. He attended the Amsterdam Conservatory, where his teachers included pianist Jan Wijn and organist Jacques van Oortmerssen. He continued his postgraduate studies with Ferenc Rados, and participated in master classes with Alfred Brendel, Willem Brons and Menahem Pressler. He became internationally known after taking the second prize in the Geneva International Music Competition in 2008 and winning the third prize in the Queen Elisabeth Competition in 2010. In 2011, he received a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship. As a soloist, Minnaar has performed with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, among other ensembles, and has worked with such prominent conductors as Edo de Waart, Eliahu Inbal, Jirí Belohlávek, Herbert Blomstedt, Frans Brüggen, and Marin Alsop. Active as a chamber musician, Minnaar is a member of the Van Baerle Trio, and he has performed with Mischa Maisky, Janine Jansen, and Isabelle van Keulen. He has recorded for Challenge Classics, Cobra Records, and EtCetera Records.