Stephen Swedish

Biography

Stephen Swedish has built an international reputation as soloist, collaborator and one of the world premier chamber music pianists. He is the pianist of The Kapell Ensemble based in Brazil with cellist Marjana Rutkowski and guest artists, and has appeared in concert with some of the world’s greatest artists including violinists Josef Gingold and Henryk Szeryng, violist William Primrose, cellists Janos Starker, Raphael Wallfisch, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, Wolfgang Laufer and many others.

Stephen Swedish attended the renowned School of Music at Indiana University earning his Bachelor, Master, and Doctor of Music degrees. His principal teacher and mentor was Menahem Pressler, pianist of the legendary Beaux Arts Trio. He also studied piano with Abbey Simon, Gyorgy Sebok, and Sidney Foster…and chamber music with Menahem Pressler, JanosStarker and William Primrose. While only in his second year at Indiana, he was invited by celebrated cellist Janos Starker to be his regular recital partner and together Starker and Swedish toured throughout North America and recorded for the Mercury label.  He has also toured with legendary singers including Metropolitan Opera star soprano Eileen Farrell, star baritone Pablo Elvira and many others.  

He has given numerous master classes for gifted singers, instrumentalists, chamber music ensembles, and pianists around the world.

In addition to his performances on five continents, Stephen Swedish has served on the artist-faculties of the Oberlin College-Conservatory of Music, the School of Music at the University of Maryland, and, at the personal invitation of renowned pianist Lili Kraus, at Texas Christian University where he served as Director of Chamber Music Studies. He has taught in Europe at the International Music Academy in the Czech Republic, the Esterhazy Palace and Haydn Conservatory in Eisenstadt, Austria and the Conservatorio dall’Abaco in Verona, Italy. He currently teaches piano and coaches chamber music ensembles at the Music Institute of Chicago.

Since 1996, Stephen Swedish has served as Artistic Ambassador for the U.S. State Department and in that capacity has performed and presented numerous master classes in such far-away places as Azerbaijan, Kyrgysztan, Kazahkstan, the Republic of Georgia, Sardinia, Cyprus, Malta and Chile.

Dr. Swedish is a Yamaha Artist and has recorded on the RCA Red Seal, the Mercury, and the Gasparo record labels. He resides in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with his wife, Cynthia.