Stephanie PROOT - Pianist

"Stephanie Proot is an exceptional musician with a powerful pianistic mastery. Moreover, she transcends mere virtuosity and is able to sweep away the audience into the most enchanting musical atmospheres. Her colorful interpretations display a unique symbiosis of natural expressiveness and well-considered rhetoric."

     Starting to play the piano at the age of 6, Stephanie's great musical talent and artistic potential was immediately clear. She graduated from the Antwerp Conservatory piano class of Levente Kende and continued her education at the Ecole Normale Alfred Cortot in Paris with Ramzi Yassa and at the Chapelle Musicale Reine Elisabeth in Brussels with Abdel Rachman El Bacha. Finally, she perfected herself at the Frankfurter Hochschule für Darstellende Kunst und Musik with Lev Natochenny.

     During her training, Stephanie's outstanding pianistic level resulted in excellent results in numerous piano competitions. Still as a child, she was successful in all major competitions in Belgium; she won first prizes at the Jong-Tenuto -, Charlier -, International Kaufmann -, Cantabile -, André Modeste Grétry - and Dexia Competition. From the year 2005 onwards, she spread her wings and achieved several  significant awards on the international scene: the 1st prize at the International EPTA Competition (2005), the 1st prize at the Rencontre internationale de piano du Mée-sur-Seine (2009), the 2nd prize at the Nuéva Acropolis Competition in Madrid (2006), the 2nd prize at the International Pianocompetition Of The City Of Porto (2008), the 3rd prize in the Pianocompetition For Young Musicians in Enschede (2008) and the 6th prize at the Shanghai International Piano Competition (2009). In the London International Piano Competition (2009) she was given the Educational Award for her exceptional achievement as a very young participant. She won the 3rd Prize at the Svetislav Stancic International Piano Competition in Zagreb (2011) and carried off the public's Favorites Prize at the International Telekom Beethoven Piano Competition in Bonn (2011).

     In 2012 she won no less than four of the five competitions she participated; she achieved the 1st prize at the Neue Sterne Piano Competition in Wernigerode, the 1st prize at the Massarosa International Piano Competition, the 3rd prize at the Ricard Viñes Piano Competition in Lleida, the 1st prize at the Maria Hererro International Piano Competition in Granada and the 1st prize at the André Dumortier International Piano Competition in Leuze. In 2013 she reached the semi-finals of the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels. With her compelling performances, magnetic stage presence and captivating personality on and off stage she had both the Belgian audience and press on her side.

     While Stephanie feels like a fish in water as a soloist performer, she takes particular pleasure in communicating with other musicians. She has worked together with renowned conductors such as Eric Lederhandler, Ivo Venkov, Joanna Carneiro, Alain Paris, Mladen Tarbuk, Theodor Guschlbauer and Augustin Dumay in concertos of Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, Mozart, Rachmaninov and Ravel. In 2012, Stephanie decided to give shape to her love for playing chamber music and established the Ensembl'Arenski with Claire and Aurore Dassesse.

     In 2012 Stephanie recorded her first CD containing four Beethoven sonates.  In 2016 she released her second CD with  Liszt and Schubert. In  october 2017 the debut-album of Ensembl'Arenski was released.