Spain
Hailed by The Times as a “remarkable cellist” and described by Gramophone as “sheer perfection”, Kian Soltani’s playing is characterised by profound depth of expression, sense of individuality and technical mastery, complemented by his charismatic stage presence. He now appears regularly with many of the world’s esteemed orchestras and conductors, firmly establishing himself as a leading voice among today’s generation of cellists.
The 25/26 season is highlighted by his performance with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra with Gianandrea Noseda at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, return to Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France under Daniel Harding as well as several much-anticipated debuts with Orchestre National de France, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. Further highlights include European tour of WDR Sinfonieorchester with Cristian Măcelaru as well as his residency with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra during which he embarks on a European tour with their Chief Conductor Eva Ollikainen. As an active recitalist, he will tour Europe in trio with Renaud Capuçon and Mao Fujita, and in duo with Benjamin Grosvenor, while joining Andreas Ottensamer and Alessio Bax for performances across the United States.
Soltani has performed with many leading ensembles such as the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Staatskapelle Berlin, Munich Philharmonic, Wiener Symphoniker, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, NHK Symphony Orchestra, and Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. He is also a frequent guest at prominent festivals such as Verbier, Rheingau Music Festival, Dvořák Prague Festival, Bregenzer Festspiele, Gstaad Menuhin Festival, Grafenegg, and Salzburg to name but a few.
In 2017, Soltani signed an exclusive recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon, releasing his acclaimed debut album Home in 2018 featuring works by Schubert, Schumann, and Reza Vali, described as “sublime” by Gramophone. He went on to record Dvořák’s Cello Concerto with the Staatskapelle Berlin and Daniel Barenboim in 2020 and released a Schumann album with Camerata Salzburg featuring the cello concerto and Lieder transcriptions in 2024. His 2021 album Cello Unlimited, a solo exploration of the cello’s expressive range and cinematic power, earned him the Innovative Listening Experience Award at the 2022 Opus Klassik Awards.
Born in Bregenz, Austria, to a family of Persian musicians, Soltani began playing the cello at age four and was only twelve when he joined Ivan Monighetti’s class at the Basel Music Academy. He was the recipient of Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation scholarship in 2014 and completed further studies at the Kronberg Academy in Germany and International Music Academy in Liechtenstein.
Kian Soltani plays “The London, ex Boccherini" Antonio Stradivari cello, kindly loaned to him by a generous sponsor through the Beares International Violin Society.
