Matthias Kirschnereit is counted amongst the most successful German pianists of his generation. The ECHO-Classic-Laureate performs fifty concerts annually with leading institutions around the world and cooperates with many well-known conductors. In his orchestra concerts and over thirty CD recordings he is following his artistic ideal of finding and communicating the musical emotions, the story and the human element of the pieces. He equally values his moments of chamber musical intimacy, where he captivates listeners with his nuanced yet intensive interpretations. His international career began in the 1990s. Until then, his history was unconventional: born in Westphalia, he left Germany at the age of nine to settle in Namibia with his family. As much as he was fascinated by the culture of southern Africa, he soon understood that his dream to be a pianist could only be realized in Germany. Returning home at the age of 14 on his own, he started to study under Professor Kretschmar-Fischer at the Detmold musical academy. Additional artistic impulses he took from his intensive cooperation with Murray Perahia, Claudio Arrau and others. Matthias Kirschnereit - who lives in Hamburg with his family - passes on his artistic ideals and the experience from his international concert activities to future generations as Professor of Music in Rostock. In his spare time, his interests are painting, soccer and Italian cuisine.