Ralph van Raat

Pianist and musicologist Ralph van Raat (1978) studied the piano with Prof. Ton Hartsuiker and Prof. Willem Brons at the Conservatory of Amsterdam and Musicology at the University of Amsterdam, which he concluded “Cum Laude”. Van Raat also studied with Claude Helffer, Ursula Oppens, and Pierre-Laurent Aimard.

Van Raat appears as a recitalist in Europe, the Middle East and Asia as well as the United States. Besides the traditional classical repertoire, he takes special interest in the performance of contemporary classical music. Many of his concerts have been broadcasted by Dutch as well as foreign radio and television networks. 

Van Raat also performed as a soloist with orchestras including London Sinfonietta, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and Radio Chamber Philharmonic, the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Frankfurt, the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra and the Dortmunder Philharmoniker. He worked closely with conductors Valery Gergiev, JoAnn Falletta, David Robertson, Peter Eötvös, Stefan Asbury, Michel Tabachnik, Tan Dun, Otto Tausk and Susanna Mälki Many composers have written exclusively for Ralph. He recorded a great number of CD’s with complete piano works of contemporary composers, such as Magnus Lindberg.

Van Raat teaches contemporary piano music interpretation at the Conservatory of Amsterdam. He regularly gives masterclasses, lectures and workshops also abroad. 

Since 2003, Van Raat is a Steinway Artist.