Alice Sara Ott
Pianist Alice Sara Ott is one of the most original musical voices of her generation. Her work brings together performance, recording and visual storytelling in projects shaped by a distinct artistic identity and a compelling, contemporary narrative. Whether re-examining familiar repertoire or introducing audiences to new music, she approaches each programme as a world of its own.
The 2026/27 concert season marks the beginning of two new artistic relationships in the UK. As Collaborative Artist at the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra for two seasons she will perform with the orchestra in Birmingham and internationally, as well as taking part in chamber music, recording and wider creative projects. In 2027, Alice begins a year-long position as Artist in Residence at London’s Barbican Centre with a series of performances and specially conceived projects.
Contemporary repertoire sits at the core of Alice Sara Ott’s performances and in February 2027 she will give the world premiere performance of Joe Hisaishi’s Piano Concerto with the composer conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra.. Alice works closely with the composer Bryce Dessner and in spring 2027 will present Love, Icebox in concert halls across Europe including London, Antwerp, Berlin and Hamburg. Written for Alice, it is a work for solo piano inspired by the recently published collection of love letters from John Cage to Merce Cunningham. The premiere took place in December 2025 at Fondation Louis Vuitton with Isabelle Huppert reading a selection of the letters. An album of Dessner’s music from this performance, paired with the piano concerto he wrote for Alice, will be released in spring 2027 on Deutsche Grammophon, with whom Alice enjoys a successful partnership and for whom she has recorded exclusively since 2008.
Throughout the season, Alice will perform piano concertos by Beethoven, Ravel and Grieg with orchestras including the Pittsburgh Symphony and Minnesota Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo and Vienna Symphony Orchestra. She also continues the international tour of her recital programme which pairs the nocturnes of John Field with sonatas by Beethoven. Her Deutsche Grammophon recording of Field’s complete nocturnes topped international classical charts, entered the Top 30 of Germany’s mainstream pop chart and was named Apple Music Classical’s Album of the Year 2025.
In summer 2026, Alice Sara Ott appeared as a guest mentor on the popular, mainstream series, Channel 4’s The Piano, joining MIKA and Claudia Winkleman.