Steinway & Sons Welcomes Markus Gottschlich to Roster

Steinway & Sons has announced that Markus Gottschlich has been added to the roster of Steinway Artists, a select and prestigious group of pianists who have chosen to perform exclusively on The Family of Steinway-Designed pianos.

Gottschlich, an Austrian-born pianist and composer, is known for his fearless blend of traditional and new-world influences and for his innovative contributions to the jazz scenes of Vienna, New York, and most recently South Florida.

In reviewing his 2008 debut album, When the Day is Done, Jazzreview.com wrote: "The piano is an extension of Markus Gottschlich's personality as truly as the trumpet was a conduit for Dizzy Gillespie's voice, and the guitar is another appendage that Eric Clapton was born with so naturally in his hands. Nobody could imagine either Gillespie or Clapton without their instruments, which is something that both men have in common with Gottschlich."

For his sophomore album, 2013's Of Places Between, the pianist teamed up with Grammy Award-winning musicians Federico Britos and Jose Javier Freire. The result was a stunning collaboration that cemented Gottschlich's status as one to watch in the contemporary jazz world. "[Gottschlich is]...poised to become one of the country's leading jazz performers," wrote Miami Magazine. AllAboutJazz.com calls him "a painter of emotions via music." The entirety of Gottschlich's work on this album was performed on a Steinway & Sons Model D concert grand piano.

As a Steinway Artist, Gottschlich is now on the same roster as some of the most dynamic names in piano, including Billy Joel, Lang Lang, Diana Krall, and Harry Connick, Jr., as well as immortal legends such as Vladimir Horowitz and Irving Berlin. He is the first Austrian-born jazz pianist to be named a Steinway Artist.

"To me a Steinway piano is the only instrument that has the innate ability to give back, stimulate, and inspire," Gottschlich said. "Performing on a Steinway not only allows me to express the full spectrum of emotions, it also demands and deserves the same type of excellence from me that it takes to build this piano."

Born and raised in Vienna, Austria, Gottschlich grew up in what was once Beethoven's apartment. He attended Admiral Farragut Academy, Concordia College in New York and graduated from Western Connecticut State University. In addition to a rigorous global touring and teaching schedule, he also serves as the Artistic Director of the Miami Beach Jazz Festival.

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