Hailed for her profound musicality and refined sensitivity, German born pianist Sonia Achkar has performed in concert halls and international chamber music festivals worldwide such as Mannheimer Rosengarten, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Schleswig Holstein Music Festival, Kurt Weill Fest Dessau, Schwetzinger Festspiele (Germany), Her Majesty’s Theater Perth (Australia), Thy Chamber Music Festival (Denmark), Toronto Summer Music Festival (Canada) and Val Tidone Music Festival (Italy). She has appeared as a recitalist, soloist and chamber musician throughout Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia and Asia.

Born into an international family Sonia Achkar has started playing the piano at the age of five. After numerous successes in youth competitions she started studying with Rudolf Meister at the University of Music Mannheim (Germany). A Rotary scholarship enabled her to pursue a degree with Menahem Pressler at the Jacobs School of Music (Bloomington, USA).

As a young artist she was also awarded scholarships from Konrad-Adenauer Foundation, Richard-Wagner Foundation, PE-Trust, German Music Foundation, Culture Foundation Rhein-Neckar-Kreis e.V. and Willy Robert Pitzer Trust.

Additionally, Sonia Achkar has received inspiration and guidance working with internationally acclaimed artists such as Andrzej Jasiński, Karl-Heinz Kämmerling, Pascal Devoyon, Luba Edlina-Dubinsky, Janina Fialkowska, Alain Planes, Barry Snyder, Jeffrey Cohen and Joseph Kalichstein.

Sonia Achkar who was appointed a "Young Steinway Artist“ is a highly sough after chamber music partner and has made many appearances with leading artists throuhout Europe since her big success in the most important German Music Competition ("Deutscher Musikwettbewerb“) in 2010.

As a result, in 2013 she was invited to the Festival for Rising Stars of the "German Music Foundation" on the MS Europa. In the same year she gave her debut in the chamber music series of the Gewandhaus Leipzig.
Sonia Achkar regularly broadcasts and takes part in productions on German radio and television such as BR, SWR, WDR, NDR, Deutschlandradio Kultur and Phoenix. Her first duo CD with French violinist Etienne Gara was just recorded in Los Angeles and will be released in summer 2014.

After having been appointed an Assistant Instructor at the Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington (USA) she is currently teaching the piano at Mannheim University of Music and Performing Arts and University of Music and Theatre "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig (Germany).

Review

“Magic moments of piano artistry – a symbiosis of virtuosity and extraordinary musicality”

- Die Rheinpfalz

“...a rich sound, an enormous palette of colours...there was musical intelligence suberbly paired with deep expression."

- Ruhr Nachrichten

“...fabulous technique and excellent interpretation...she not only has an intimate approach to German romantic music but also a refined sense for the charm of French piano music."

- Mannheimer Morgen