The pianist Dominic Chamot was born in Cologne in 1995. He has won over thirty prizes and awards so far, making him one of the most successful pianists of his generation. Most recently, he won the first prize and audience award at the Viotti Competition in 2023.
His career began at a young age when, at the age of 12, he was admitted to the class of Prof. Sheila Arnold at the Pre-College-Cologne of the HfMT Cologne, which provided him with crucial musical impulses. Soon after, he received international awards in Berlin, Zwickau, Enschede, Weimar, Cologne, etc., as well as performances in prestigious venues such as the Berlin and Cologne Philharmonie, the Wiener Musikverein, Palau de la Musica Catalana Barcelona, and many others.
Chamot then deepened his studies with the famous pedagogue Claudio Martinez-Mehner in Basel. He completed his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Specialised Performance (Soloist) with top grades and honors, and at the end of his pedagogy studies with Zoltan Fejervari, he also won the award for the best recital of the year at the renowned Basel Music Academy.
During this time, his reputation as a versatile musician developed, leading to performances worldwide. He played concerts in over 15 countries on 4 continents, recently performed multiple times at the Berlin Philharmonie, won some of Switzerland's most exclusive scholarships during his studies, and was invited by the WDR Symphony Orchestra as a soloist for a concert at the Cologne Philharmonie. After these successes, further invitations followed from orchestras throughout Germany, as well as the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano, ORF Symphony Orchestra Vienna, Basel Symphony Orchestra, and many more. In New York, he captivated the audience with his performance at the Steinway Hall as part of the "Classical Bridge Festival." He has collaborated with conductors such as Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Cornelius Meister, Joseph Bastian, and many others.
He is also in high demand as a chamber musician: he is repeatedly invited to festivals (Gstaad, Davos, Schwetzingen Mozart Festival, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival), regularly performs with musicians from Switzerland's top orchestras (Tonhalle Zurich, Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, Basel Symphony Orchestra, among others), and released a duo CD with Sergio Pires, principal clarinetist of the London Symphony Orchestra. Other chamber music partners included Kian Soltani, Sirena Huang, Lisa Jacobs, Joe Christophe, Anna Agafia Egholm, and many more.
From 2011 to 2014, Dominic Chamot was a scholarship holder of the "Jürgen Ponto Foundation" and the "Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben." From 2018 to 2020, he received the Migros Kulturprozent Study Prize, and in 2020, he was selected for the Lieven Piano Foundation scholarship.
The pianist and critic Hannes Sonntag describes him as follows: "Dominic Chamot creates that lasting emotional experience for the sake of which alone we ultimately make or listen to music!"
Awards (chronologically):
"57. Steinway-Klavierspielwettbewerb", Berlin 2010
- 1. Prize
- Audience Prize
- Prize of the "Deutschen Chopin Gesellschaft e.V."
Schumann-Wettbewerb für Junge Pianisten, Zwickau 2010
-1. Prize
"International Piano Competition for Young Musicians 2010", Enschede (NL)
- 2. Prize
- Audience Prize
"3. Internationaler Franz-Liszt Wettbewerb für junge Pianisten 2011", Weimar
- 3.Prize
- Special Prize for the interpretation of a 20th century work
48. Bundeswettbewerb „Jugend Musiziert“ in Neubrandenburg/Neustrelitz 2011
In the Piano Solo Category:
- 1. Prize
- Special Prize „Diethard-Wucher-Preis“
- Special Prize „Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben“
In the Contemporary Music Category (Ensemble):
- 1. Prize
- Special Prize „Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben“
Eurovision Young Musicians 2012, Wien
- Finalist
Karlrobert-Kreiten-Wettbewerb 2013, Köln
-2. Prize
Lions Jugend-Musikpreis 2013, Köln
-2. Prize
Steinway-Förderpreis 2013, Düsseldorf
- 2. Prize
Duo-Wettbewerb der August-Pickhardt Stiftung 2014, Basel
-3. Prize (with Zofia Neugebauer, Flute)
Studienpreis Musik des Migros-Kulturprozent 2017, Zürich
-Winner
Jmanuel und Evamaria Schenk Stiftung 2018, Zofingen
-Winner
Studienpreis Musik des Migros-Kulturprozent 2018, Zürich
-Winner
Stiftung für junge Musiktalente Meggen 2018
-Winner
Kiefer Hablitzel / Göhner Musikpreis 2019, Bern
-Winner (Prix Collard)
Euregio Piano Award 2019, Geilenkirchen
-1. Prize
-Press Prize
-Audience Prize
Brescia Classica International Competition 2019, Brescia
-2. Prize
International Piano Competition “Spanish Composers” 2019, Madrid
-1. Prize
Orpheus chamber music competition 2020, Winterthur
-Prizewinner (with Trio 99)
Maria-Canals International Piano Competition 2023, Barcelona
-4. Prize
-Special Prize "Elvira Farreras de Gaxpar"
Viotti Competition 2023, Vercelli
-1. Prize
-Audience Prize