Olena Kushpler

Hailing from Ukraine, German pianist Olena Kushpler is praised by audiences and critics for her colorful, sensitive playing. “It is impressive to observe how she manages to captivate the listener: time seems to stand still” (NDR Kulturradio). The Hamburger Abendblatt evening daily has hailed her as an “outstanding storyteller”.
The winner of several competitions and awards, Olena Kushpler has guested in several renowned international concert halls (Berlin, Düsseldorf, Vienna, Hamburg Elbphilharmonie, etc.) and at major music festivals (Rheingau, Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saarland, and many others).
Her artistic activities are documented in numerous CD releases and recordings, broadcast by BR (Munich), NDR (Hamburg), SWR (Stuttgart), and Deutschlandradio Kultur.
A great number of solo appearances and chamber music collaborations have led her to perform with artists such as Peter Schreier and Martin Grubinger, as well as Zoryana Kushpler and her Bonnard Trio. She has likewise conceived and performed musical-literary evening programmes with stage actors of the likes of Roger Willemsen, Iris Berben, Barbara Auer, Ulrich Tukur, Christian Redl, and Charly Hübner. Kushpler was also the founder and director of the Kontraste festival.
Olena Kushpler was granted scholarships by the DAAD, the Emma Beit Foundation, the Budge Foundation, and the Franz Wirth Foundation. She was awarded the Alfred Töpfer Foundation’s Masefield Prize, the Oscar and Vera Ritter Foundation’s Ritter Prize, and the Berenberg Culture Prize.
Olena Kushpler first studied with Josef Jermin at the Lviv Academy of Music and Theater; she then went on to perfect her artistry under the guidance of professors Volker Banfield and Evgeni Koroliov in Hamburg. During postgraduate chamber music studies at Cologne Musikhochschule she received valuable artistic counsel from members of the Alban Berg Quartet, as well as in musical collaborations with Wolfram Rieger and Norman Shetler.