Biography
Georgijs Osokins is known for his rich pianistic sound and for the fire and freedom of his performance style. No less a figure than Garrick Ohlsson has hailed his individualism as reminiscent of that of his illustrious forebears of the piano’s Golden Age. The first Baltic pianist to establish himself in the top tier of international classical artists, the Latvian-born, Berlin-based Osokins has been acclaimed for his performances of repertoire ranging from Bach and Scarlatti to Arvo Pärt and Pēteris Vasks, via Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninoff and many more. Critics have highlighted his “impeccable technique” (France Musique), “subtlety of touch” (The Strad) and “agility and grace” (Gramophone).
Relishing the role of musical archaeologist, Osokins loves exploring new areas of the literature and unearthing hidden treasures for his instrument. He is also a skilled arranger and transcriber, often incorporating works he has reimagined into his thoughtfully curated programmes. As he tours the world sharing his personal interpretations of music old and new to enthusiastic acclaim, he grounds himself by always using the same bespoke piano bench, custom-made for him by Fazioli Pianos. As well as being a sought-after soloist, Georgijs is a valued chamber partner, working regularly with his legendary compatriot and mentor Gidon Kremer, among others.
In May 2025 he entered into an exclusive collaborative partnership with Deutsche Grammophon. As a champion of the relatively neglected pianistic tradition and wider musical heritage of the Baltic states, Osokins is launching his work with DG with an album of works by Arvo Pärt entitled For Arvo. His aim is to introduce the Estonian composer’s music to younger generations and, through his own new arrangements for solo piano, to shed fresh light on some of Pärt’s best-loved works. For Arvo will be released on 5 September 2025 to coincide with the composer’s 90th birthday on 11 September.
Recent highlights include his solo debut at the Pierre Boulez Saal; solo recitals at the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie, Mendelssohn-Haus in Leipzig and Ruhr Klavier Festival; Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in Monte Carlo and Dortmund with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo under Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla; and chamber recitals with Gidon Kremer and Martha Argerich at Hamburg’s Laeiszhalle, and with Kremer and cellist Giedrė Dirvanauskaitė in Bulgaria, Germany and Switzerland.
His forthcoming schedule sees him perform Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 in Monte-Carlo with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo and Tianyi Lu (3 August); and give a solo recital at the Schleswig-Holstein Festival (17 August). Solo appearances in the 2025–26 season include recitals at the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (6 September), Weidener Meisterkonzerte (26 September) and Polling Abbey in Bavaria (7 December). He will also perform repertoire from For Arvo at events in Berlin and Munich presented by München Musik GmbH. His 2025–26 orchestral engagements include concerts with the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra Olomouc and Rémy Ballot, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, and the Staatsorchester Kassel and Ainārs Rubiķis.
Georgijs Osokins was born into a family of pianists in the Latvian capital of Riga in 1995. His earliest lessons were with his father, Sergejs Osokins, and he continued his studies at Riga’s Emīls Dārziņš Music School, whose former students also include the world-renowned Mariss Jansons, Gidon Kremer, Misha Maisky and Andris Nelsons, among others. He then worked with Sergei Babayan at the Juilliard School in New York, and with Georg Friedrich Schenck at the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf. His pianism has also been shaped by the advice of such leading artists as Gidon Kremer, Daniel Barenboim and Christoph Eschenbach.
Georgijs came to international attention at the age of 19 on reaching the final round of the 2015 Chopin Competition, where his “exceptional” and “unpredictable” performances led to invitations from venues including the Berlin Konzerthaus, Hamburg Elbphilharmonie and Tokyo’s Metropolitan Theatre Hall. He has since made debuts at, among others, London’s Wigmore Hall, New York’s Carnegie Hall, and the Salzburg and Shanghai festivals, appearing in solo and chamber recitals as well as concerts with some of the world’s leading orchestras.
In 2019, Osokins was named one of Kremerata Baltica’s first permanent guest artists. He has been awarded the Cross of Merit (silver grade) by the President of Poland and his home country’s highest musical honour, the Latvian Grand Music Award.
7/2025