Contestant

“…he is a big talent, a brilliant pianist, a very dedicated and sensitive musician…I highly

recommend him to your attention.”

Martha Argerich

“…an exceptional pianist. He has a phenomenal technique…a warm rounded tone and is an

excellent communicator. His playing also shows a deep understanding of the music and high

intelligence.”

Marios Papadopoulos, MBE. Music director of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra

The 25 years old Israeli pianist Ido Zeev has recently been catapulted to the international scene after winning the 3rd prize of the renowned Vigo International Piano Competition where the president of the jury was the legendary pianist Martha Argerich. In the same competition, Ido scooped two other prizes including the Public Prize – awarded by the audiences all around the world. In recent seasons, Ido has appeared in some of the greatest international festivals, including The Oxford Music Festival, The Luzern Festival and Allgemeine Musikgesellschaft (Basel). Winning first prizes in the major competitions in his country and in addition to his last success in Spain, Ido Zeev has recently won the 3rd prize at the San-Remo International Piano Competition 2022, he is a finalist of the Vendome Prize 2024 in NY and a laureate of the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Novosibirsk.

Zeev has worked with some of the world’s most esteemed musicians including Nikolai Lugansky, Evgeny Kissin, Christoph Eschenbach, Menahem Pressler, Boris Berezovsky, Michel Béroff and Konstantin Lifschitz among others. He has appeared as soloist with many orchestras including – the Algarve Symphony Orchestra, the San-Remo Symphony Orchestra, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, the Haifa Symphony Orchestra, the TYSO Orchestra, the Ramat-Gan Chamber Orchestra and more.

Born in 1998, he began his piano studies in the class of Mrs. Ganit Polin at the Givatayim conservatory. In 2012 he was accepted at the prestigious Thelma Yellin High School of the Arts in Israel, which led in 2015 to a concert tour with the TYSO symphony orchestra throughout Israel and France. Since 2016 Ido has received advanced training under the well known Prof. Arie Vardi.

Among the scholarships Ido has received are – The Morningside Music Bridge Scholarship, Zefunot Culture Scholarship, The American Israel Cultural Foundation Scholarship years 2012-2020, The Hava Stern excellence-scholarship and The Buchman-Heiman Foundation.