CV Katinka von Richter

Katinka von Richter is a pianist radiating the highest levels of sentience, expressiveness, imagination and sensibility in her music. Her concerts are characterized by her sincere and wholehearted immersion into classical music as well as by a philosophical involvement with contemporary art.
A native of Munich, her professional career carries her to Switzerland, Italy, France, the United States and back to Germany. Today she lives and works in Paris, her adoptive home, where she came as a sponsored resident of Cité Internationale des Arts 2015. Since that time she has been establishing her extraordinary concept of Concert Performance.
Her music is greatly influenced by Oxana Yablonskaya and Anatol Ugorski, who  mentored her while completing her master studies with an honorary degree. She is intensively supported in her further studies by Dina Ugorskaja, whereby her perception and understanding of tone have been shaped. In 2016 she very successfully accomplishes her Konzertexamen at Hochschule für Musik Detmold.
Regular master classes with Elisa Virsaladze, Ivan Klansky and Lang Lang further inspire her and complement her artistic understanding. 
Lang Lang , being aware of her musical talent, becomes her mentor promoting her and connecting her internationally.
In Paris the young pianist becomes a jury member at the concert series Piano Passion Paris aiming at selecting young artists. During these series she herself gives one of the opening concerts at Salon Michelin.
Recently she entered the artistic residence “Recollets” in Paris.

Since 2023 she is teaching her own piano class in Conservatoire Rachmaninoff Paris.

At a very young age Katinka von Richter has discovered her love of music expressed in improvisations of her own as well as in composed songs. At the age of 5 she receives her first piano lessons. At the age of 9 she is accepted as a youngster student with Prof. Blaesi at Luzern conservatory and wins the 1st prize at the international contest in Stresa, Italy. Many more prizes are to follow, like the 1st prize with distinction at the Suisse Music Contest in Basel, 1st prize at Jugend Musiziert and others. 
In Munich Katinka von Richter studies with Prof. Claude-France Journés, who admits her to her class at Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich. 
At Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana at Lugano, Switzerland, the young pianist completes her elementary studies as a soloist with Prof. Nora Doallo culminating in winning the internal school contest by performing Mendelssohn’s 1st Piano Concert with Orchestra in 2007. Shortly afterwards Radio Ticino selects her to play chamber musical works by Olivier Messiaen in a live transmission.
In 2009 Katinka von Richter becomes acquainted with Oxana Yablonskaya, who invites her to New York and later admits her to her class of OYPI at Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, Italy.
With Prof. Anatol Ugorski the pianist accomplishes her master studies at Hochschule für Musik Detmold in 2014, during which time she is awarded several contest prizes. 
Working closely together with the actor Christian Kleinert greatly impacts on her holistic understanding of designing arrangements and performances. 
Highly committed to social projects like beneficiary concerts for refugees or honorary concerts in retirement homes, churches, prisons and psychiatric wards Katinka von Richter is bestowed the scholarship of Hannes Frank Foundation in 2014.

She also participates at master classes dedicated to chamber music and song accompaniment held by Thomas Quasthoff and the Guarneri Trio Prague.
Her collaboration with the violinist Prof. Thomas Christian deeply inspires her understanding of chamber music. Together they perform at his home town Vienna. In 2013 she obtains a teaching assignment for his class as a tutor.
The same year Katinka von Richter records the Cesar Frank Sonata together with the violinist Hagar Maoz, being broadcasted on the Israeli Radio in October 2014. At the international chamber music contest in Bari they win 2nd prize as a duo.
Right after her master degree with Anatol Ugorski she commences her Konzertexamen at Hochschule für Musik Detmold, first in the class of Prof. Alfredo Perl, later in the class of Prof. Leuschner. She successfully graduates in 2016. During that time she is appointed resident of Cité International des Arts Paris. 
She concludes her studies with the degree of “perfectionnement” at the Ecole normale de musique de Paris in the class of Jean-Bernard Pommier.

As a scholarship holder of Cité International des Arts Paris Katinka von Richter enacts her idea of a symbiosis of music and art on stage. In unique new ways she creates a holistic work of art surmounting the boundaries between music and modern art performance. She transforms the whole stage, even the whole concert hall occasionally, into an installation. Each specific staging is developed either by herself or in close collaboration with contemporary artists or actors. First and foremost, the foundation of each performance concert is inspired by the music itself.
Outstanding successes with this idea have already been celebrated during her master studies. At the Music and Communication Contest she wins 1st prize as well as the audience award by performing Sergej Prokoviev’s Sarcasms as a musically staged interpretation. A year later at the same contest she wins again by performing Stravinsky’s Petrushka for Two Pianos in a transcription written specifically for her by Anatol Ugorski.