Shani Diluka (born 7 November 1976 in

Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...

) is a Monegasque pianist of Sri Lankan descent. She was among those to benefit from a programme initiated by

Princess Grace Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982), also known as Grace of Monaco, was an American actress and Princess of Monaco as the wife of Prince Rainier III from Wedding of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and Grace Kelly, th ...

of Monaco, which allowed children to receive music lessons integrated into their schooling. She received the first prize in the Académie de Musique (Fondation Prince Rainier III). She subsequently studied with Odile Poisson, a pupil of

Pierre Sancan Pierre Sancan (24 October 1916 – 20 October 2008) was a French composer, pianist, teacher and conductor. Along with Olivier Messiaen and Henri Dutilleux, he was a major figure among French musicians in the mid-twentieth-century transition between ...

. Enrolled in the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), or the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (; CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue Jean Ja ...

in 1997, she studied with

Georges Pludermacher Georges Pludermacher (born 26 July 1944) is a French classical pianist. He leads an international solo career and performs in the most prestigious festivals. Biography Born in Guéret, Pludermacher began playing the piano at the age of three. He ...

and François-Frédéric Guy and later with

Marie-Françoise Bucquet Marie-Françoise Bucquet (28 October 1937 – 15 August 2018) was a French pianist. Biography Born in Montivilliers, Marie-Françoise Bucquet began her studies at the Vienna Music Academy and continued this tradition by further studies with ...

Nicholas Angelich Nicholas Michael Angelich (December 14, 1970 – April 18, 2022) was an American pianist. He was noted for performing internationally with ensembles from Europe and North America. Early life Angelich was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on December 14 ...

and Bruno Rigutto.

Biography

Born in

to Sri Lankan parents, she came to notice at the age of six thanks to a programme set up by

of Monaco and was then chosen to take part in a specialised programme at the Académie Prince Rainier III in the Principality. She later entered the CNSMD in Paris, where she won a first prize, with the unanimity of the jury, after being advised by B. Rigutto, G. Pludermacher, M.-F. Bucquet and J. Chaminé. In 2005, when she joined the Fondation de Come, presided over by

Martha Argerich Martha Argerich (; ; born 5 June 1941) is an Argentine classical concert pianist. Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argerich gave her debut concert at the age of eight before receiving further piano training in Europe. At an early age, she won sev ...

Discography

* ''Tempéraments'' with the

Orchestre de chambre de Paris The Orchestre de chambre de Paris (OCP) is a French chamber orchestra based in Paris. The orchestra performs throughout Paris with concerts at the Philharmonie de Paris, where it is a resident ensemble, and also at such venues as the Théâtre des ...

conducted by Ben Glassberg. Pieces of C. P. E. Bach et

W. A. Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

performed on modern piano and on a copy of Walter 1790 thanks to the Fondation Royaumont. (Mirare /

Harmonia Mundi Harmonia Mundi is a record label that specializes in classical music, jazz, and world music (on the World Village label). It was founded in France in 1958 and is now a subsidiary of PIAS Entertainment Group, which is itself owned by Universal M ...

2019) * ''La Symphonie des oiseaux'' with the violinist

Geneviève Laurenceau Geneviève Laurenceau (born 2 November 1977) is a French classical violinist. She was a supersoloist with the Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse from 2007 to 2017. Life Born in Strasbourg, Laurenceau began playing the violin at the a ...

and the bird singers Jean Boucault et Johnny Rasse. Pieces of

, P. Casals, R. Schumann, C. Saint-Saëns, E. Grieg, O. Messiaen, P. I. Tchaikovsky and others... (Mirare /

2017) * ''Beethoven - Complete works for cello and piano'' with the cellist Valentin Erben. Sonatas and Variations of

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

. (Mirare /

2017) * ''Schubert - Des Fragments aux étoiles'' 12 Ländler D790, Hungarian Melody, Sonata in B flat major D960 of

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; ; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a List of compositions ...

(Mirare /

2016) * ''Babar et le Père Noël'' (livre-CD) Natalie Dessay, accompanied by the pianist Shani Diluka, tells the story of Babar and Father Christmas with pieces of C. Saint-Saëns, E. Satie, C. Debussy, M. Ravel, G. Bizet and, of course, F. Poulenc with the original text of

Jean de Brunhoff Jean de Brunhoff (; 9 December 1899 – 16 October 1937) was a French writer and illustrator remembered best for creating the Babar series of children's books concerning a fictional elephant, the first of which was published in 1931. Early life ...

. (La Dolce Volta 2012) * ''ROAD 66'' with

Natalie Dessay Natalie Dessay (; born 19 April 1965) is a French soprano, best known as an opera singer before her retirement from the opera stage in 2013. She gained wide recognition after her portrayal of Olympia in ''The Tales of Hoffmann'' in 1992, and then ...

. Pieces of J. Adams, S. Barber, A. Beach, L. Bernstein, J. Cage, A. Copland, B. Evans, A. Ginastera, G. Gershwin, P. Glass, P. Grainger, K.hJarrett, H. Joo, C. Porter (Mirare /

2014) * ''Beethoven Concertos.'' Concertos 1 op. 15 & 2 op. 19 of

with the

Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine The ''Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine'' (ONBA) is a French symphony orchestra based in Bordeaux. Its principal concert venue is the ''Palais des sports''. In addition to its regular symphony concerts, the ONBA serves as the accompanying orches ...

conducted by

Kwame Ryan Kwame is an Akan masculine given name among the Akan people (such as the Akuapem, Ashanti, Akyem, Bono and Fante) in Ghana which is given to a boy born on Saturday. Traditionally in Ghana, a child would receive their Akan day name during thei ...

(Mirare /

2010) * ''Romances sans paroles'' - Variations sérieuses - Fantaisie écossaise. Pieces of

Felix Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions inc ...

(Mirare /

2009) * ''Concerto et pièces lyriques de Edvard Grieg'' with the

conducted by

Eivind Gullberg Jensen Eivind Gullberg Jensen (born 1 April 1972) is a Norwegian conductor. Biography Jensen studied violin and conducting in Trondheim. He continued his conducting studies with Jorma Panula in Stockholm and in Vianna with Leopold Hager. Jensen has ...

(Mirare /

2007) * ''Histoire de Babar le Petit Éléphant.'' Natalie Dessay, accompanied by the pianist Shani Diluka, tells the story of Babar with the music of

Francis Poulenc Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc (; 7 January 189930 January 1963) was a French composer and pianist. His compositions include mélodie, songs, solo piano works, chamber music, choral pieces, operas, ballets, and orchestral concert music. Among th ...

and the original text of

. (Didier Jeunesse 2012) * ''Monsieur Chopin ou le voyage de la note bleu'', Artist: Shani Diluka, Reciter:

Jacques Bonnaffé Jacques Bonnaffé (born 22 June 1958) is a French actor and stage director. He has appeared in more than ninety films since 1980. Debut Jacques Bonnaffé was formed at the Lille Conservatory after his high school years in Douai (North) where he ...

, Text: Carl Norac, Music:

Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period who wrote primarily for Piano solo, solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown ...

, Illustration: Delphine Jacquot (Didier Jeunesse 2010) * ''Best Of La Roque d'Anthéron Festival'' : Shani Diluka Mirare /

after others as:

, Boris Berezovsky,

Brigitte Engerer Brigitte Engerer (; 27 October 1952 – 23 June 2012) was a French pianist. Biography Born in Tunis, French Tunisia, Engerer started piano lessons at the age of four, and by the age of six was performing in public. When she was 11 her fami ...

Andrei Korobeinikov Andrei, Andrey or Andrej (in Cyrillic script: Андрэй, Андрей or Андреј) is a form of Andreas/Ἀνδρέας in Slavic languages and Romanian. People with the name include: *Andrei of Polotsk (–1399), Lithuanian nobleman *Andr ...

Jean-Frédéric Neuburger Jean-Frédéric Neuburger (born 29 December 1986) is a French pianist, organist, and composer. His repertoire extends from Bach to Jean Barraqué, Barraqué and the works of his own contemporaries. He was born in Paris on 29 December 1986. When he ...

Jean-Claude Pennetier Jean-Claude Pennetier (born 16 May 1942) is a French classical pianist. Biography Born in Châtellerault, Pennetier began studying the piano at the age of three and later entered the Conservatoire de Paris in piano and chamber music classes. Aft ...

(Mirare /

2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) * ''Les Salons de Musique ARTE'', with the participation of:

Olivier Charlier Olivier Charlier (born 17 February 1961) is a French classical violinist. He plays on a violin by Carlo Bergonzi dated 1747. Biography Charlier was born in Albert, Somme and admitted at the age of 10 to the Conservatoire de Paris where he at ...

, Bijan Chemirani, Serena Fisseau, Victor Hugo Villena, Rosemary Standley, Rémy Cardinale, Quatuor Ardeo, Henri Demarquette, Shani Diluka, Camille Thomas,

Vincent Peirani Vincent Peirani (born 24 April 1980) is a French jazz accordionist, vocalist and composer who has played internationally, collaborating with Denis Colin, François Jeanneau, Youn Sun Nah, Émile Parisien, Michel Portal, Louis Sclavis, and Mich ...

, Valentin Erben and others. (Outhere Music, 2014) * ''La Folle Journée fête ses 20 ans'', La Folle Journée de Nantes, with the participation of:

Anne Queffélec Anne Queffélec (born 17 January 1948) is a French classical pianist, born in Paris. Biography Anne Queffélec is the daughter of Henri Queffélec and sister of Yann Queffélec, both noted writers. Her brother Hervé Queffélec is a mathema ...

, Zhu Xiao-Mei,

Michel Corboz Michel Corboz (14 February 1934 – 2 September 2021) was a Swiss conductor. Life Corboz was born in Marsens, Switzerland, and educated in his native canton of Fribourg. He studied vocal performance and composition at the conservatory in Fribourg ...

Augustin Dumay Augustin Dumay (born 17 January 1949) is a French violinist and conductor from Paris. Biography Dumay was invited as a soloist to appear with Yo-Yo Ma in Paris by Herbert von Karajan. Later on, he performed Béla Bartók's ''Second Concerto'' with ...

, Romain Guyot, Boris Berezovsky, La Rêveuse, Tatjana Vassiljeva,

, Claire-Marie Le Guay,

Claire Désert Claire Désert (born 1967) is a French classical pianist. Biography Born in Angoulême, Désert began learning the piano at the age of five. At fourteen, she joined the Conservatoire de Paris (CNSMDP), where she was awarded the premier prix in ...

Emmanuel Strosser Emmanuel Strosser (born 4 May 1965 in Strasbourg), the son of theatre director Pierre Strosser, is a French classical pianist. Biography Strosser first studied with Hélène Boschi then at the Conservatoire de Paris with Jean-Claude Pennetier ...

Emmanuel Rossfelder Emmanuel Rossfelder (born 1973) is a French classical guitarist. Life Rossfelder started playing the guitar at the age of 5. He started as a student of Raymond Gellier. At the age of 8, he entered the Conservatoire de musique of Aix en Provenc ...

, Lucero Tena, Luis Fernando Pérez,

Ricercar Consort The Ricercar Consort is a Belgian instrumental ensemble founded in 1980 together with the Ricercar record label of Jérôme Lejeune. The founding members were violinist François Fernandez, organist Bernard Foccroulle, and viola da gamba pla ...

Philippe Pierlot Philippe Pierlot (born 1958) is a Belgian viola da gamba player and a conductor in historically informed performance. He is also an academic teacher at the royal conservatories of The Hague and Brussels. Career Born in Liège, Pierlot learned t ...

, Carlos Mena, Shani Diluka,

Pierre Hantaï Pierre Hantaï (born 28 February 1964, Paris) is a French harpsichordist and conductor. Career The son of painter Simon Hantaï, he discovered the music of Johann Sebastian Bach when he was ten and first heard Gustav Leonhardt's recordings wh ...

, Renegades Steel Band Orchestra,

Sinfonia Varsovia The Sinfonia Varsovia is a Polish orchestra and musical institution based in Warsaw. The orchestra gives its concerts principally at its eponymous institution, located on Grochowska Street, Warsaw. History Waldemar Dąbrowski and Franciszek W ...

and others.

Rewards

''Tempéraments'' disc (Mirare
Harmonia Mundi Harmonia Mundi is a record label that specializes in classical music, jazz, and world music (on the World Village label). It was founded in France in 1958 and is now a subsidiary of PIAS Entertainment Group, which is itself owned by Universal M ...
- 2019)

France Musique France Musique () is a French national public radio channel owned and operated by Radio France. It is devoted to the broadcasting of music, both live and recorded, with particular emphasis on classical music and jazz. History The channel was lau ...

Choice * 4 F from

Télérama ''Télérama'' is a weekly French language, French cultural and television magazine published in Paris, France. The name is a contraction of its earlier title: ''Télévision-Radio-Cinéma''. Fabienne Pascaud is currently managing editor. Ludovic ...

* CD des Tages Radio Klassik

''Beethoven - Complete works for cello and piano'' disc (Mirare
Harmonia Mundi Harmonia Mundi is a record label that specializes in classical music, jazz, and world music (on the World Village label). It was founded in France in 1958 and is now a subsidiary of PIAS Entertainment Group, which is itself owned by Universal M ...
- 2017)

* 5 DIAPASON Magazine

''Schubert - Des Fragments aux étoiles'' disc (Mirare
Harmonia Mundi Harmonia Mundi is a record label that specializes in classical music, jazz, and world music (on the World Village label). It was founded in France in 1958 and is now a subsidiary of PIAS Entertainment Group, which is itself owned by Universal M ...
- 2016)

* 5 DIAPASON Magazine *

Choice * Musikzen best reward * "Clef du mois" de ResMusica * Best choice of the

FNAC Fnac () is a French multinational retail chain specializing in the sale of entertainment Media (communication), media and consumer electronics. Fnac was founded by André Essel and Max Théret in 1954. Its headquarters is located in ''Le Flavia' ...

record shop

''Road 66'' disc (Mirare
Harmonia Mundi Harmonia Mundi is a record label that specializes in classical music, jazz, and world music (on the World Village label). It was founded in France in 1958 and is now a subsidiary of PIAS Entertainment Group, which is itself owned by Universal M ...
- 2014)

Bayerischer Rundfunk (; "Bavarian Broadcasting"), shortened to BR (), is a public broadcasting, public-service radio and television broadcaster, based in Munich, capital city of the Bavaria, Free State of Bavaria in Germany. BR is a member organization of the ARD (b ...

CD Tipp * Berlin Kultur Radio KKKK *

Norman Lebrecht Norman Lebrecht (born 11 July 1948) is a British music journalist and author best known as the owner of the classical music blog ''Slipped Disc''. His writings have been accused of sensationalism and criticized for their inaccuracies, while oth ...

Choice * FIP Choice * 4 stars CLASSICA

''Beethoven concertos'' disc (Mirare
Harmonia Mundi Harmonia Mundi is a record label that specializes in classical music, jazz, and world music (on the World Village label). It was founded in France in 1958 and is now a subsidiary of PIAS Entertainment Group, which is itself owned by Universal M ...
- 2010)

GRAMOPHONE A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound. The sound vibration waveforms are recorded as corresponding physic ...

recommendation * 5 DIAPASON Magazine * CHOC du monde de la Musique * Japan Music Arena award for the best performance of the year * USA

Fanfare magazine ''Fanfare'' is an American bimonthly magazine devoted to reviewing recorded music in all playback formats. It mainly covers classical music, but since inception, has also featured a jazz column in every issue. History and profile ''Fanfare'' wa ...

recommendation * Musikzen best reward

''Mendelssohn - Romances sans paroles'' disc (Mirare
Harmonia Mundi Harmonia Mundi is a record label that specializes in classical music, jazz, and world music (on the World Village label). It was founded in France in 1958 and is now a subsidiary of PIAS Entertainment Group, which is itself owned by Universal M ...
- 2009)

* 5 DIAPASON Magazine * ARTE choice of the month and of the year * MEZZO Choice * CHOC du Monde de la Musique

Disque ''Concertos et Pièces Lyriques'' de Grieg (Mirare Harmonia Mundi - 2007)

* 5 DIAPASON Magazine *

Choice * CHOC du monde de la Musique * RTL d'Or * 4 stars German Bayern * 10/10 Classic Today USA

Other rewards

* Choice of

Charles Cros Charles Cros or Émile-Hortensius-Charles Cros (1 October 1842 – 9 August 1888) was a French poet and inventor. He was born in Fabrezan, Aude. Cros was a well-regarded poet and humorous writer. As an inventor, he was interested in the fields ...

for ''Mr Chopin'' (Edition Didier Jeunesse) and ''Babar'' (Edition Didier Jeunesse) * Knight of the Order of Cultural Merit of Monaco on 18 November 2018

References

External links

Shani Diluka's official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diluka, Shani Women classical pianists 1976 births Living people Monegasque people of Sri Lankan descent 21st-century classical pianists Knights of the Order of Cultural Merit (Monaco) Monegasque musicians 21st-century women pianists

Biography

Discography

Rewards

''Road 66'' disc (Mirare Harmonia Mundi Harmonia Mundi is a record label that specializes in classical music, jazz, and world music (on the World Village label). It was founded in France in 1958 and is now a subsidiary of PIAS Entertainment Group, which is itself owned by Universal M ... - 2014)

Disque ''Concertos et Pièces Lyriques'' de Grieg (Mirare Harmonia Mundi - 2007)

Other rewards

References

External links

''Road 66'' disc (Mirare
Harmonia Mundi Harmonia Mundi is a record label that specializes in classical music, jazz, and world music (on the World Village label). It was founded in France in 1958 and is now a subsidiary of PIAS Entertainment Group, which is itself owned by Universal M ...
- 2014)