Biography
Jan Jiracek von Arnim was born into a family of musicians and was described by BBC Music Magazine as one of the leading pianists of his generation.
He won first prize at the Steinway Competition in Hamburg at the age of ten and made his formal debut the following year in his hometown of Hanover, Germany, with a Mozart piano concerto. A graduate of the Berlin University of the Arts, he studied with Hans Leygraf and Alfred Brendel, among others.
He won top prizes at the Busoni Competition in Italy and the Maria Canals Competition in Spain and received special honors and awards for his interpretations of the music of Ludwig van Beethoven and Olivier Messiaen.
Jan Jiracek von Arnim was one of the winners of the Tenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in the United States, which marked the beginning of his international career. He has since performed throughout Europe, including recitals at the Herkulessaal in Munich, the Philharmonie in Berlin, the Salle Cortot in Paris, the Palau de la Música in Barcelona, the Tonhalle in Zurich, the Musikverein in Vienna, the Musikhalle in Hamburg, and the Gewandhaus in Leipzig. He has also performed with orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 2001, he became the youngest tenured professor in the history of the mdw—University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna when he was appointed Professor of Piano Performance.
His students have won first prizes at major international piano competitions such as the "Géza Anda" in Switzerland, the "Unisa" in South Africa, the "Top of the World" in Norway, and the "Maria Canals" in Spain, among others.
Jan Jiracek von Arnim is currently also a guest professor at the Elisabeth University of Music in Hiroshima and Kunitachi College of Music, both in Japan. He has also been a visiting professor at several prestigious European universities of music, including the Hannover "Hochschule für Musik und Theater," as well as the Yale School of Music in 2022–2023.
He regularly gives master classes in North America, Asia and Europe, most recently at PianoTexas (Fort Worth) in 2025, Valencia International Performing Arts Summer Academy 2025, Theo Lieven Stiftung 2025 in Vienna, Piano Academy Eppan 2025, and the Salzburg Mozarteum Summer Academy 2026.
From 2017 – 2023, as successor to the legendary pianist Wilhelm Kempff, he taught the annual “Beethovenkurs” at the “Casa Orfeo” in Positano, Italy, where selected international piano talents are taught in the German and Austrian tradition of Beethoven interpretation.
Mr. Jiracek von Arnim is frequently invited as a juror to international piano competitions, e.g. the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition in Japan, the Busoni International Piano Competition in Italy, the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition for young musicians, and most recently the 2026 Takamatsu International Piano Competition in Japan and the 2026 Franz Liszt International Piano Competition in Hungary.
Since 2011, he is the Artistic Director and Chairman of the International Beethoven Piano Competition Vienna.
His biography of Franz Liszt, published by Residenz Verlag in Austria, was described by the renowned Austrian newspaper DIE PRESSE as "the very best Liszt biography to date."
Jan Jiracek von Arnim is a scholarship holder of renowned foundations such as the “Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes”. In 2020, he was named a “Paul Harris Fellow” of Rotary Foundation. He is also an honorary citizen of Fredericksburg, Texas (USA).
