19-year-old American pianist Maxim Lando has been described as a “dazzling fire-eater” (ARTS San Francisco), a “pianist who dares to do things not considered by others” (ConcertNet, The Classical Music Network) and as “a total musical being” (The New Criterion). He was lauded by Anthony Tommasini in the New York Times as displaying “brilliance and infectious exuberance in his New York debut” combined with “impressive delicacy” and a “wild-eyed danger.”
In October 2022, Maxim was awarded First Prize at the New York Liszt International Piano Competition. The Competition is open to pianists of any age, and the aim is to celebrate Franz Liszt's heritage and to spotlight exceptional talents. Maxim was one of four finalists invited to compete in the Grand Final at Carnegie Hall, where all four performed Franz Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1. He'll play the same piece with the Cape Symphony! Watch the video of his winning performance.
This was not Maxim's first time winning a prestigious competition. At age 16, he won First Prize at the 2018 Young Concert Artists International Auditions. Maxim was awarded the 2021/22 Vendome Grand Prize, the 2020 Gilmore Young Artist Award, and was named Musical America’s New Artist of the Month. As winner of the Juilliard 2021 Concerto Competition, Maxim made his Alice Tully Hall debut performing with the Juilliard Orchestra led by Xian Zhang. His sold-out recital debuts at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall and the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater included Liszt’s complete Transcendental Etudes and were hailed by the New York Times as a concert “You won’t want to miss!”
The previous year, Maxim made international headlines performing together with Lang Lang, Chick Corea, and The Philadelphia Orchestra led by Yannick Nézet-Séguin at Carnegie Hall’s 2017 Opening Night Gala. The performance led to an inspirational friendship with the late Chick Corea, and subsequent duo performances with Lang Lang included concerts with the Pittsburgh, Toronto, Hawaii, and Vancouver Symphonies and China NCPA Orchestra. As a solo artist, Maxim has made appearances with the Mariinsky Theatre and Russian National Orchestras, Israel and Moscow Philharmonics, and St. Petersburg Symphony, as well as over 30 additional orchestras across the US and Europe.
Maxim partners frequently with violinist Daniel Hope, and is passionate about chamber music and unusual repertoire. He has performed at venues around the world including the National Center for Performing Arts in Beijing, Symphony Hall in Shenzhen, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris, Ravinia Festival, and Aspen Music Festival. Maxim is an alumnus of the Lang Lang International Music Foundation, and studies with long-time mentors Hung-Kuan Chen and Tema Blackstone at The Juilliard School.
To learn more about Maxim, visit his website.
Maxim Lando joins the Cape Symphony for The Romantics on Saturday, January 21 & Sunday, January 22, 2023. For more information and to purchase tickets for The Romantics, visit capesymphony.org, call the Box Office at 508-362-1111, email
