Hannes Minnaar - Biography

Hannes Minnaar received support from BBT between 2011 and 2013. For an up-to-date biography go to www.ej-arts.com

“every single performance by this pianist is out of the top drawer”

(Gramophone Magazine, 2014)

Hannes Minnaar studied piano with Jan Wijn at the Amsterdam Conservatory, concluding his studies with distinction in 2009. He won prizes at the Concours de Genève and the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels.

Minnaar has performed as a soloist with various orchestras, including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, and the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona, under conductors such as Herbert Blomstedt, Eliahu Inbal and Marin Alsop.

Hannes was awarded a Fellowship by the Borletti-Buitoni Trust in 2011. His three solo albums are highly acclaimed. His debut album was awarded an Edison and Gramophone published a full-page article about this album. The same magazine wrote about his second album Bach inspirations: “After Minnaar’s debut disc, this makes two hits in a row”. BBC Music Magazine selected it as “Instrumental choice of the month” with 5 stars. His third album with piano music of Gabriel Fauré received rave reviews by both national and international press. Gramophone wrote: “Minnaar’s identification with this unique realm of music is complete and his deeply felt interpretations shine with clarity and infinite nuance.”

In 2016 Hannes has received the Dutch Music Award. This award is the highest honor that can be bestowed by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) to a musician working in the field of classical music.

Minnaar has recorded all of Beethoven’s piano concertos for Challenge Classics, together with the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra and Jan Willem de Vriend.  The Fifth (Emperor) was given the accolade of BBC Radio 3’s ‘Building a Library’ recommended recording in 2019. Minnaar made his Meesterpianisten series debut in April 2019 in de Main Hall of the Concertgebouw.

I feel enormously privileged to be part of the Borletti-Buitoni Trust family. Not only does the Trust give financial support, but also it shares its experience and advice on how to use it in the best possible way. Love for music is shared by all people involved in the organisation. Contact with any of them is warm and personal. With their wonderful help and support I was able to release a CD debut reaching a public that goes beyond my dreams. I’m immensely grateful for this!

Photographs by Simon Van Boxtel