Peter Klimo, Piano

Biography

Hungarian-American pianist Peter Klimo has been studying piano since the age of nine. A Los Angeles native, he began his piano studies with Vicharini and Rosanna Marzaroli and continued with Dr. Tyler Tom. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree from the Eastman School of Music studying with Dr. Nelita True, and his Master’s Degree from the Yale School of Music studying with Peter Frankl.

In 2014, Mr. Klimo won 2nd prize in the 10th International Franz Liszt Piano Competition in Utrecht where he performed with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of James Gaffigan. As a prizewinner of the Liszt Competition, he embarked on an extensive concert tour, taking him all over the world, beginning the day after the finals in Utrecht’s TivoliVredenburg when he performed in a packed Spiegelzaal in the Concertgebouw Amsterdam.  The concert was broadcast live on NPO Radio 4.

Highlights from 2016 include concerto performances in Seoul, South Korea with Hee-chuhn Choi and the KBS Symphony Orchestra; Los Angeles, California with John Roscigno and the 52nd American Liszt Society Festival Orchestra; Columbus, Georgia with George del Gobbo and the Columbus Symphony Orchestra; and in Budapest, Hungary with Ménesi Gergely and the Liszt Academy Symphony Orchestra.

Also a passionate chamber musician, Mr. Klimo recently toured with the Belenus Quartet in Austria and Holland in 2016. During 2013, he performed Bartók’s Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., at Sprague Hall at the Yale School of Music with all members playing from memory, as well as at the Dakota Sky International Piano Festival. He most recently performed the work throughout Holland in 2016 with winners of the International Tromp Percussion Competition. 

As a lover of art song, he attended the Vancouver International Song Institute in June 2013, won the 2nd place pianist’s prize at the Jessie Kniesel Lieder Competition in 2012, and frequently performs song transcriptions in solo recitals. He also served as a faculty member for the 2013 inaugural year of the DBS Summer Music Festival in Hong Kong.

Mr. Klimo is currently pursuing an Artist Diploma at Texas Christian University with Dr. Tamás Ungár.