DAVID MUNK-NIELSEN

David Munk-Nielsen has been recognised as one of the leading young concert pianists in the Nordic countries after numerous concert appearances and top prizes in international piano competitions.

Most recently in October 2022, David successfully took part in the 5th International Maj Lind Piano Competition in Helsinki and was awarded the 3rd prize.

Previous year in autumn 2021 David won the 1. prize in the national Tampere Piano Competition in Finland as well as the 1. prize in Tallinn International Piano Competition in Estonia. In all three finals David performed Brahms’ 2. piano concerto.

David Munk-Nielsen was born in 1998 in Copenhagen and started playing the piano at the age of 5. When he was 6 years old, David participated in the TV show ”Me and my age” which was about the development of the brain. Among other things, David played his first Chopin waltz.

David studied for seven years with professor Anne Øland until he entered the Royal Academy of Music Aarhus in 2015.

Since 2017, David studies at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki with professor Erik T. Tawaststjerna where he is currently pursuing his Master’s degree. As a part of his education, David spend the year 2022/23 in Berlin at Universität der Künste on the exchange program studying with prof. Björn Lehmann.

Munk-Nielsen is the recipient of multiple awards in both danish and international piano competitions: 1st prize at the North Zealand Piano Festival (2010), Gold medal in Berling Classical Music Competition (2015), special prize at the 8th Nordic Piano Competition in Sweden for the best interpretation of a romantic work (2017), 1st prize at International Stasys Vainiunas Competition in Lithuania (2018) and the grand prix award in the Helmi Vesa piano competition for all pianists at the Sibelius Academy (2019).

The same year in March 2019, David won the 2nd prize in the Aarhus International Piano Competition as well as 2 special prizes (Carl Nielsen prize and EMCY prize).

David first appeared as soloist with orchestra when he was 13 years old touring Denmark and Ireland with North Zealand Symphony Orchestra and has since performed with orchestras such as Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Tampere Philharmonic, Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, Aalborg Symphony Orchestra, Estonial National Symphony Orchestra, and St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra in Vilnius.

He played his first solo recital at the age of 15 and has since then played many recitals and performed in festivals such as Hindsgavl Festival, Danish String Quartet Festival, Mänttä Music Festival, Turku Music Festival, Sibelius Festival, Korsholm Music Festival, Mikkeli Music Festival, Copenhagen Summer Festival, Helsingborg Piano Festival, Aarhus Chamber Music Festival and ”Festival & Friends” chamber music festival in Copenhagen.

David also received multiple grants, among others from the Wegelius Foundation in Finland, the big Jacob Gade Prize in 2021 as well as the Jacob Gade Talent prize in 2015 for young Danish musicians.

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