KEVIN.AHFAT
piano

Winner of the 2025 Fou Ts’ong International Concerto Competition, Canadian pianist Kevin Ahfat is an artist who “leaves no question about his riveting presentation and technical finesse” (Seattle Times) and is “poised to become one of the young heirs of the classical piano realm” (Vanguard Seattle).  Possessing “a balanced mix of expressiveness and virtuosity” (Musical America), he “summons plenty of thunderpower in the big moments, but clearly values musicianship over mere showmanship” (American Record Guide).

Named one of CBC Music’s “30 hot Canadian classical musicians under 30” in 2018, Kevin continues performances and recordings as the newest core member of the three-time Grammy-nominated ARC Ensemble, one of Canada’s preeminent chamber ensembles and foremost cultural forces.  Their latest releases on Chandos Records have been nominated for a 2022 Juno Award, 2022 OPUS Klassik Award, as well as being named one of the “Top 10 classical musical albums of 2020” by The Boston Globe and one of WQXR’s “Best Classical Albums of 2020”.

Kevin has had the privilege of sharing the stage with renowned artists across many genres, including Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Stefan Jackiw, Sonia Rodriguez, and SO Percussion, and recently with the Esprit Orchestra and Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra, L’Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières, and Seattle, Bellevue & Oakville Symphonies.  Festival appearances include Music@Menlo, Seattle, Rockport, Fall for Dance North, and Kyoto Festivals.  He has been broadcast on CBC and on WFMT’s Dame Myra Hess Series and contributed to Yamaha Canada’s recent Dear Glenn AI Project.

A two-time winner of the Juilliard Concerto Competition, Kevin completed studies at Juilliard with Joseph Kalichstein and Stephen Hough, and was in-residence as a Rebanks Fellow at the Royal Conservatory.  Kevin is Artistic Director of OPUS Chamber Music, Toronto’s newest premier hub for chamber music.

Photo: Mike Grittani

Kevin Ahfat’s website

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