Saleem Ashkar

Biography

Saleem Ashkar made his Carnegie Hall debut at the age of 22 and has since established a distinguished international career as a pianist, performing with many of the world’s leading orchestras and conductors. In the 2024–25 season, Ashkar returned to the Orchestre National de Lyon with Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, the St. Louis Symphony with David Afkham, and the Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen with Ariane Matiakh. He also made his debut with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and gave the first of a two-part Schumann recital cycle at Copenhagen’s Queen’s Hall.

Recent concerto appearances include engagements with the Bamberger Symphoniker, Gävle Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta de Valencia, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Brussels Philharmonic, Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Copenhagen Philharmonic. In 2021, he toured Germany performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Kammerakademie Potsdam, paired with the world premiere of David Coleman’s Piano Concerto.

As a soloist, Ashkar has performed with the Wiener Philharmoniker, London Symphony Orchestra, Deutsche Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and the symphony orchestras of Detroit, Vancouver, and Tokyo. He has also toured extensively in Australia.

In parallel with his career as a pianist, Ashkar has developed a growing presence as a conductor. He led the Salzburg Camerata and Kammerakademie Potsdam on a tour of Germany, and conducted the Bergen Philharmonic and the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra in programs featuring works by Mozart and Schumann. He worked regularly with the Jerusalem Symphony, where he conducted major symphonic repertoire including Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique, and the complete works for piano and orchestra by Liszt. Recent and upcoming conducting engagements include a Beethoven program with the Württemberg Philharmonic and a joint concert with the Orchestre National de Lyon and the Galilee Chamber Orchestra.

A devoted recitalist and chamber musician, Ashkar is especially noted for his interpretations of Beethoven. He has performed the complete cycle of Beethoven’s piano sonatas in Prague, Duisburg, and at the Konzerthaus Berlin. Recent recital highlights include appearances at Wigmore Hall in London, the Oslo Opera House, Milan’s Verdi Conservatory, Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, Berlin’s Pierre Boulez Saal, and the Musikverein in Vienna.

As Artistic Director of the Galilee Chamber Orchestra, Ashkar has championed intercultural dialogue through music, uniting Arab and Jewish musicians in Israel. He leads the ensemble both from the podium and the keyboard. In 2022, the orchestra made its Carnegie Hall debut with Joshua Bell and performed at Toronto’s Koerner Hall. A European tour followed, with engagements at the Konzerthaus Berlin and the Rheingau Festival. In the 2024–25 season, the ensemble toured to Germany and Spain, with performances at Bachfest Leipzig, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, and Madrid.

Ashkar currently serves as Assistant Professor of the Practice of Music and Director of the Applied Music Keyboard Program at Brown University.


Photo Credit: Neda Navaee