Calvin Abdiel

Indonesian-Australian pianist Calvin Abdiel is establishing himself as one of the finest young musicians internationally. He has performed in Australia, Austria, Russia, Indonesia, Germany, Denmark, and Switzerland.

His debut album, Themes and Variations (Decca Australia, 2024), showcases Schumann's Études Symphoniques, Liszt's Reminiscences of Don Giovanni, and Brahms' Paganini Variations, earning praise for his "varied musical palette" and "jaw-dropping technique" (American Record Guide).

In 2021, Abdiel won the George Frederick Boyle Third Prize at the Sydney International Piano Competition, alongside the Nancy Weir Best Australian Pianist Prize and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust overseas scholarship. He was the first Australian in nearly two decades to reach the grand finale, with The Australian's Matthew Westwood dubbing him "Piano Man" with "extraordinary pianistic authority." In 2022, he embarked on a debut recital tour across NSW, ACT, and Victoria, presented by the Sydney International Piano Competition.

Born in Jakarta, Abdiel began playing piano at five and made his orchestral debut in 2017 with the St. Petersburg State Capella Symphony Orchestra. He has since performed with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and Les Chambrites, collaborating with conductors such as Anatoliy Rybalko, Gerard Schwarz, Richard Davis, Roger Benedict, and Benedetto Montebello.

His accolades include 2nd prize at the Steps to Mastery International Competition (St. Petersburg, 2017), 2nd prize at the Lev Vlassenko Piano Competition (Australia, 2017), 3rd prize in the Val de Travers International Piano Competition (Switzerland, 2018), and 1st prize at the Ananda Sukarlan Award International Piano Competition (Jakarta, 2020). As the 2021 SCM Concerto Competition winner, he performed Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3 with the Sydney Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra. His performance of Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 4 with the G20 Orchestra was broadcast on Indonesian national television. More recently, he won 3rd prize at the 27th Mauro Paolo Monopoli Prize International Piano Competition (Italy, 2024) and performed with the Orchestra ICO Suoni del Sud.

A graduate of the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Abdiel studied with Prof. Eldar Nebolsin and Natalia Ricci. He has also worked with Ferenc Rados, Pascal Rogé, Lilya Zilberstein, Angela Hewitt, Arie Vardi, and other esteemed pianists through prestigious scholarships.