20 Of The Greatest And Most Famous Female Piano Players (2023)

The magical sound of the piano has touched people’s hearts since the early 18th century. Many well-known musicians composed their music using the piano.

The first name that might pop up in your mind when you think of famous piano players is Mozart or maybe Beethoven, but today, we’re focusing on the women who have dedicated their careers to this instrument.

In this post, we’ve put together a list of 20 of the greatest and most famous female piano players who deserve a ton of appreciation:

Table of Contents

1. Martha Argerich

One of the most famous classical pianists of all time, Martha Argerich was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1941.

Her professional career began when she was eight years old. She received her first worldwide recognition at the age of 16 after moving to Europe and winning the Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition.

Her outstanding technique allowed her to perform all around the world, which earned her a devoted international audience.

Her chamber music recordings are her most well-known works. She also won several awards including two Grammys for best instrumental soloist and one for the best chamber performance.

Despite suffering numerous cancer treatments, she’s still performing to this day!

2. Clara Schumann

20 Of The Greatest And Most Famous Female Piano Players (1)

Clara Schumann, a composer, and pianist from Germany, started studying piano at age five. By the age of 11, she started performing and managed to establish a name for herself in Europe.

After she got married to composer Robert Schumann and had eight children, her career started to face some challenges, but she continued composing and teaching.

She also continued her career after her husband’s death by editing his collected works and touring with a group of chamber musicians.

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3. Mitsuko Uchida

Japanese born pianist Mitsuko Uchida was born in Atami, Japan but moved to Vienna with her family at the age of 12 and began training piano around the same time.

She performed for the first time when she was 14 after taking lessons at the Vienna Academy of Music.She then moved to London after nearly 10 years in Austria, and that was her golden era.

She became well known for her recordings of Mozart’s sonatas and Debussy’s etudes receiving several awards, including the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Gold Medal.

4. Yuja Wang

Yuja Wang, a Chinese classical pianist, started her journey with the piano at the young age of six.

By the age of 15, she was in Philadelphia, where she got the chance to study with the pianist Gary Graffman who was impressed with her talent. After graduating, she was already a famous concert pianist performing all over the world.

Since her first performances, she’s become an in-demand soloist performing with some of the biggest orchestras in the world including the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and even the YouTube Symphony Orchestra.

5. Hélène Grimaud

The classically trained French pianist Hélène Grimaud discovered her love of the piano at age seven.

Her journey started at a local conservatory, but she made it to the Paris Conservatoire, where she received her first performance award at age 13. She took a major step in her career by performing with the Orchestre de Paris.

Since then, she has performed with many well-recognized conductors.Hélène Grimaud isn’t only a pianist but also a writer and a human rights activist. She published three books and founded the Wolf Conservation Center after moving to New York City.

6. Khatia Buniatishvili

Khatia Buniatishvili is a Georgian pianist who started learning piano at age three. She began performing worldwide at the age of 10, after nailing her first concert with the Tbilisi Chamber Orchestra, and it hasn’t stopped since.

Buniatishvili used her music as a form of activism, performing in charity concerts and pointing out the human rights issues in some countries.

Her most famous work is her album (Schubert) and her collaboration with Coldplay’s in their album (A Head Full of Dreams).

7. Myra Hess

Myra Hess, an English pianist born in 1890, started studying piano at age five.

She started touring when she was only 17 after her performance of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4. Years later, she made it to America.

She played almost every day for six years during the Second World War, which earned her more recognition.

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She’s particularly known for her interpretations of Mozart, Beethoven, and Schumann’s work.

8. Valentina Lisitsa

Valentina Lisitsa started learning the piano when she was three, and a year later, she gave her first public performance.

In 2007, Lisitsa uploaded a recording of some Chopin Etudes on her YouTube channel, which went viral in a couple of days. She successfully turned her internet success into an international career, performing in Europe, America, and Asia.

Fast forward to today and she has over 200 million views and is one of the most viewed pianists on YouTube.

9. Mary Lou Williams

Mary Lou, an American pianist, began her career at the age of two and has been known as “The Little Piano Girl” ever since.

By the age of 12, her professional career began with tours in which she performed for well-known jazz artists.

She joined her husband in Kirk’s band “Twelve Clouds of Joy” and earned them great fame with her solo performances. Her most famous work is “Lonely Moments” and “Knowledge” in the bebop style.

10. Beatrice Rana

Beatrice Rana is a famous Italian pianist who started her studies of piano at age four. She gave her orchestral performance when she was only nine, playing Bach’s Piano Concerto in F minor.

She gained public recognition after winning her first award at the Montreal International Competition. She transitioned her career to another level after winning the Audience Award and the Silver Medal in 2013.

She works with international musicians, including James Conlon, Emmanuel Krivine, and Riccardo Chailly.

11. Angela Hewitt

The Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt began her journey with piano at age three. A year later, she started performing in public.

She is the first woman to get the Leipzig Bach Medal for her exceptional interpretations of all of Bach’s works.

Hewitt has performed as a soloist and with different bands in many concerts around the world including several well-known chamber orchestras including, Zurich, Lucerne, Basel, and others.

12. Anna Fedorova

Anna Fedorova started learning piano at age four thanks to her parents, who were also pianists. She began her international career by touring Europe, performing Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2.

In her musical journey, she was influenced by Lev Naumov, Leonid Margarius, András Schiff, and others.

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Her most famous work is her performance of the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 in Amsterdam.

13. Alicia de Larrocha

The Spanish pianist Alicia de Larrocha discovered her passion for piano at the age of three.

She started her international journey when she was 23, and she was considered the best pianist of her time.

Throughout her career, she did a lot of solo performances and earned recognition with her recordings of Albéniz and Granados. She won several awards including, four Grammys and Records of the Year.

14. Olga Kern

Russian pianist Olga Kern started studying piano when she was only five. When she was 17, she started her International career touring around the world. And since then, she has won 11 international awards.

She entered history winning the Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Gold Medal after male dominance for over thirty years.

She established her international competition to help young pianists pursue their worldwide careers through a well-recognized competition.

15. Annie Fischer

The Hungarian pianist Annie Fisher started performing at the age of eight and immediately drew attention

Her exceptional career earned her global recognition since she won her first international award at 19.

Her most famous performances are her interpretations of Mozart, Beethoven, and Bartók, which are still appreciated today.

Her collection of Beethoven’s entire works was released after death and received international fame.

16. Alice Sara Ott

Alice Sara Ott, a German-Japanese pianist, started studying piano at age four.

She loved learning piano to the point she had to be pulled away from it and got her first international award at age 12.

Her outstanding playing techniques made her one of the best pianists of her generation.

During her European tour, she performed Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major, which received high praise from critics and helped to boost her career.

(Video) Yuja Wang - Tchaikovsky: Piano concerto No 1, Carnegie hall 2017 / Yuja Wang Tickets

17. Clara Haskil

Clara Haskil, a Romanian pianist, began her career as a child prodigy, enrolling in the Bucharest Conservatory at the age of six.

Her public career started when she was 10. After that, she moved to London and entered the Paris Conservatoire.

After graduation, she started a tour in Europe and got her best recognition in France and Switzerland.

Haskil didn’t get the chance to have a longer career due to her physical illnesses, yet her name is still associated with Mozart’s piano concerti.

18. Rosalyn Tureck

Rosalyn Tureck, an American pianist, began her career by training herself for four years before enrolling in a school. She started learning in Chicago and made her public appearance at age nine.

Tureck spent 10 years performing and touring in North America before making her European debut in Copenhagen.

Her interpretations of Bach’s music are her most well-known works. Jan Chiapusso, her teacher, was the first to realize her exceptional talent.

19. Lil Hardin Armstrong

Lil Hardin Armstrong started learning piano after her mother got her into the Mrs. Hook School of Music.

Armstrong played for several bands during her early career and became the first major female jazz pianist.

Being a pianist wasn’t her only gift. She was a composer, singer, and bandleader, and she worked with well-known musicians like Freddie Keppard and King Oliver.

As you might have guessed, she has the same surname as famous trumpet player Louis Armstrong who was her husband.

She joined his bands, “Louis Armstrong and His Hot Seven” and “Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five” and composed many masterpieces with him.

20. Gabriela Montero

Gabriela Montero, the Venezuelan-American pianist, started learning at age four after showing her love for piano when she was only seven months old.

Her public performances, which she started at five, earned her a scholarship from the Venezuelan government to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

Montero stands out with her improvising during the concerts with the participation of her audience.

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She also used her influence to point out the situation of Venezuela and showed support for the protesters there.

Wrapping up our List of Great Female Pianists

We hope that we’ve introduced you to some new favorite female pianists and have given you a better understanding of this fascinating instrument.

We strongly advise you to search up these talented pianists on YouTube and watch some of their incredible live performances.

FAQs

Who is the most famous female pianist? ›

Martha Argerich is perhaps the most well known female pianist of today. Born in Argentina in 1941, she proved to be a child prodigy and started performing professionally by the age of eight.

How many female pianists are there? ›

49.5% of pianists are women and 50.5% of pianists are men.

Who is the first female pianist? ›

Martha Argerich
Born5 June 1941 Buenos Aires, Argentina
GenresClassical
Occupation(s)Pianist
Spouse(s)Robert Chen ​ ​ ( m. 1964; div. 1964)​ Charles Dutoit ​ ​ ( m. 1969; div. 1973)​
2 more rows

What female singers play the piano? ›

Female Piano Players & Songwriters
  • Norah Jones is a multi-talented singer-songwriter and musician. ...
  • Carole King is an American institution in music playing and songwriting. ...
  • Lady Gaga (aka Stefani Germanotta) is a hugely successful singer-songwriter and piano player.

Who is the best female pianists alive today? ›

The musician some claim as the greatest living pianist in the world right now is a woman: Martha Argerich. The Argentine-born pianist is eighty years old at the time of this post and still performing with the charisma she had when she debuted in the 60s.

Who is considered the best pianist ever? ›

Lived: 1873-1943

Rachmaninoff is often said to be the greatest pianist of all time, hands down. Rachmaninoff considered himself a romantic, and had a strong desire to continue the romanticism of the 19th century into the 20th century, unlike his Russian counterparts, who were mostly composing modern pieces at the time.

What is the hardest piano song to learn? ›

'La Campanella', which translates as 'little bell', comes from a larger work – the Grandes études de Paganini – and is famous for being one of the most difficult pieces ever written for piano. The piece's technical demands include enormous jumps for the right hand played at an uncomfortably speedy tempo.

What is a female piano player called? ›

Pianist Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster. Username.

Who is the best modern pianist? ›

The 12 best modern pianists you should know
  • Brad Mehldau (born 1970)
  • George Duke (1946 – 2013)
  • Jon Batiste (born 1986)
  • Martha Argerich (born 1941)
  • Tigran Hamasyan (born 1987)
  • Lang Lang (born 1982)
  • Jesús Molina (born 1996)
  • Domi (born 2000)
Oct 27, 2021

Who is the legendary pianist? ›

Bach, Beethoven (notably the Appassionata), Borodin, Chopin, Debussy, Grieg, Liszt, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Schubert, Schumann (Carnaval was another favourite) and Tchaikovsky all came to feature in Rachmaninov programmes besides his own works. He would practise for up to 15 hours a day and toured extensively.

Who is the most famous living pianist? ›

Martha Argerich (1941-)

The world woke up to the phenomenal talent of the Argentinian pianist Martha Argerich in 1964 when she won the International Chopin Piano Competition at the age of 24. She is now arguably the greatest living pianist and can sell out concerts in minutes.

Who is the best youngest pianist in the world? ›

Lydian Nadhaswaram (born 5 September 2005) is an Indian musician from Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

Who are the top 10 most famous female singers? ›

Best Female Singers Of All Time: 20 Trailblazing Music Icons
  • 8: Dionne Warwick. ...
  • 7: Adele. ...
  • 6: Madonna. ...
  • 5: Billie Holiday. ...
  • 4: Kate Bush. ...
  • 3: Ella Fitzgerald. ...
  • 2: Amy Winehouse. ...
  • 1: Aretha Franklin. Topping our list of the best female singers of all time, Aretha Franklin also stands as the most-charting female singer in history.
Jan 12, 2022

Who is the most famous woman in music? ›

Madonna is believed to have sold the most records among any female music artists in history, with 335 million records sold worldwide, recognized by the Guinness World Records and other major media outlets while the best-selling Latin artist of all time is Shakira with more than 80 million records sold.

Who is the most influential woman in music? ›

Top 10 Most Influential Women In Music
  • Top 10 Most Influential Women in the music.
  • Dolly Parton – A Living Legend.
  • Carole King – Female Songwriter.
  • Patti Smith – The Godmother of Punk.
  • Ma Rainey, The Mother Of The Blues.
  • Diana Ross – A Supreme Diva.
  • Madonna – Boundaries?
  • Bessie Smith – “Empress of the Blues.”

Who is the youngest piano prodigy? ›

Alberto Cartuccia Cingolani, a five-year-old Italian pianist, has gone viral for his prodigious performance of Mozart at a music competition in Italy, in May 2022.

Who is the fastest pianist? ›

Meet Domingos-Antonio Gomes, the world's fastest pianist.

Is Alicia Keys a great pianist? ›

Alicia Keys

Unlike many of her contemporaries, Keys isn't known for being a great show-woman, and is far more comfortable sitting at the piano, playing her keyboard-based hits 'Fallin'' and 'No One'. As she should be; she's brilliant at it.

What is that one piano song that everyone knows? ›

Along the same lines, Fur Elise by Beethoven, is iconic as a mark of the piano player. It's one of the most recognized piano pieces ever written.

What is considered the most beautiful piano song? ›

The Most Beautiful Piano Pieces
  • Beethoven: Bagatelle No. ...
  • Rachmaninov: 5 Morceaux de fantaisie, Op. ...
  • Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. ...
  • Liszt: Liebesträume, S. ...
  • Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No. ...
  • Chopin: Nocturne No. ...
  • Debussy: Suite bergamasque, CD 82, L. ...
  • Bach, JS: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (from Cantata No.

What is the coolest piano song? ›

The 16 best pieces EVER written for piano
  • Beethoven – 'Moonlight' Sonata.
  • Clara Schumann – Piano Concerto.
  • Debussy – Clair de Lune.
  • Chopin – Nocturne in E flat major (Op. 9, No. ...
  • Rebecca Clarke – Piano Trio.
  • J.S. Bach – The Well-Tempered Clavier.
  • J.S. Bach – Goldberg Variations.
  • Gershwin – Rhapsody in Blue.
Dec 2, 2020

What do you call a person who loves piano? ›

pianist Add to list Share. If you play the piano, you are a pianist. The word most often describes a professional piano player, like a pianist in the symphony.

What is piano slang for? ›

Come on, nice and easy, take it slow. Just bear in mind that depending on context, piano piano can also mean 'be quiet', 'be gentle' or even 'calm down' – so someone might alternatively be telling you to keep it down, be more careful, or chill the heck out.

Is piano a feminine instrument? ›

Piano instruments were considered the feminine musical instrument “par excellence” in the nineteenth century. So much so, in fact, that during the century it became a norm for all women belonging to the bourgeoisie and upper classes to have a decent command of the piano.

Who is the #1 female singer? ›

Madonna is believed to have sold the most records among any female music artists in history, with 335 million records sold worldwide, recognized by the Guinness World Records and other major media outlets while the best-selling Latin artist of all time is Shakira with more than 80 million records sold.

Who is the most talented pianist in history? ›

The best 5 pianists ever
  • Alfred Cortot (1877-1962), Swiss/French. If you want your piano-playing to be merely note-perfect, then practise all day. ...
  • Sviatoslav Richter (1915-97), Russian. ...
  • Vladimir Horowitz (1903-89), Russian. ...
  • Artur Rubinstein (1887-1982), Polish. ...
  • Sergey Rachmaninov (1873-1943), Russian.
Nov 3, 2022

Videos

1. Lola Astanova - Fantaisie Impromptu (OFFICIAL VIDEO)
(LOLA ASTANOVA)
2. Martha Argerich: 80 Year Old SUPER VIRTUOSO!! How Is This Even Possible?
(Rick Beato)
3. Great Piano of Hazel Scott
(odessa108)
4. Can You Hear the Difference Between Cheap and Expensive Pianos?
(Vinheteiro)
5. The Greatest Solo of All Time
(Rick Beato)
6. "Für Elise" Performed by Lang Lang
(Steinway & Sons)

References

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