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British-Indian pianist Keval Shah is at the forefront of a new generation of collaborative artists. Recognised for the artistic and intellectual originality of his playing and approach to programming, Keval has performed at many of Europe’s leading concert halls and festivals, including Wigmore Hall, Heidelberger Frühling, Schubertiade Schwarzenberg, Aldeburgh Festival and the Oxford International Song Festival. Keval is Lecturer of Lied at the Sibelius Academy, Helsinki, an appointment which made him the institution’s youngest professor, and which is testament to the strength of his artistic vision and his gifts as a communicator. 

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Highlights of recent seasons include a recital at Wigmore Hall with Karita Mattila, Schubert’s Winterreise with Roderick Williams, and a debut recital with Theodore Platt at the Mozarteum Stiftung.

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Deeply committed to the performance of new music, Keval has had the honour of working with composers including the late Kaija Saariaho, and this year he gives the premiere of song cycles by Cheryl Frances Hoad and Reena Esmail.

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Keval's competition successes include First Prize at the Hugo Wolf Academy International Art Song Competition 2022 and Second Prize at the Copenhagen Lied Duo Competition 2019, both with Theodore Platt, and winning the Oxford Lieder Young Artist Platform in 2017 with Michael Mofidian. Keval’s performances have been broadcast on BBC Radio 3, Finnish National Radio (Yle Radio 1), SWR2 and Danish National Radio (DRP2), and he has recorded for Deutsche Grammophon and Decca Classics. Since 2019, Keval has been the official pianist of the Wigmore Hall International Song Competition.

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Keval read Music at Trinity Hall, Cambridge and then studied at the Royal Academy of Music, graduating from both institutions with distinction, and from the Academy with the prestigious DipRAM in 2017. In 2022 Keval was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM), in recognition of outstanding contribution to the music profession.