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Søren Rastogi is one of the most versatile Danish concert pianists. As a soloist, he has performed with most symphony orchestras in Denmark under conductors such as Christian Mandeál, Thomas Søndergaard, Douglas Bostock, Christian Kluxen, Benjamin Shwartz, Mathias Aeschbacher, Ed Spanjaard, Peter Feranec, and Ilan Volkov, in piano concertos by Mozart (K. 466, K. 491, K. 451, K. 488), Schumann, Stravinsky, Bernstein, Bartok, and Gershwin. In 2023, a CD was released on Dacapo featuring Søren Rastogi as the soloist in the first recording of Paul von Klenau’s piano concerto with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra conducted by Hans Graf.
Søren Rastogi has often received enthusiastic reviews in the press. Information wrote, among other things: “SR debuted as a soloist with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra with a perfectly tuned stage presence, managing both pianistic skill, musical overview, melodic sense, rhythmic security, and constant tension with rare self-assurance.”
He is frequently engaged as a sonata partner with instrumentalists and has given recitals with international names such as Andreas Brantelid, Benjamin Schmid, Narek Hakhnazaryan, and Sergei Dogadin. He is a regular guest at many chamber music festivals, including the Bergen International Festival, Stavanger Chamber Music Festival, Tivoli Summer Festival, Hardanger Chamber Music Festival, and many more. Together with his wife, cellist Janne Fredens, he is the artistic director of the Odsherred Chamber Music Festival, which presents international artists collaborating with young Danish talents. Together, they released the CD “Upheaval” in early 2024 featuring music for cello and piano by female composers from the period around World War I.
In addition to his solo career, Søren Rastogi has a close collaboration with leading Scandinavian singers, including baritone Johannes Weisser, with whom he released the CD “Visiting Grieg.” “Masterful,” wrote Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung about the release, which was named “CD of the Month” by the prestigious English magazine Classic FM.
Furthermore, he has a recurring collaboration with the Danish National Vocal Ensemble, both as a pianist and musical director. Together, they have developed new concert formats presented in radio and TV broadcasts in recent years. As both a soloist and conductor, he has also performed Mozart’s piano concertos with the ensemble CPH Mozart Players, including a radio broadcast concert at the Black Diamond.
SR’s career gained momentum when he was appointed “Tower Musician” by the Danish Broadcasting Corporation and the Round Tower, which included his own radio broadcast concert series with five concerts as a soloist and chamber musician. Søren Rastogi has made numerous radio broadcasts for the EBU.
He is the recipient of numerous scholarships and honors, including the Music Critic’s Artist Prize, the Aennchen and Eigil Harby’s Scholarship, the Victor Schiøler Memorial Scholarship, and the Russell Memorial Scholarship.
SR is deeply committed to educating the new generation of musicians and is associate professor at the Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus/Aalborg, and at the Royal Danish Academy of Music. He has given masterclasses in the USA, China, Norway, Sweden, and Finland and is the chairman of the jury for the Aarhus International Piano Competition