Social media represents a revolution for artists. It has never been easier to get poems, paintings, essays, photos, sculptures, and screeds in front of the public eye. However, for pianists, there seem to be only two modes: the pomp of the performance, and the solitude of quiet practice and personal play. There is, however, a growing community of piano enthusiasts who are using social media to share their passion with the world, and it’s happening – almost exclusively – on Instagram.
That’s why we are bringing you the definitive guide to pianists on Instagram, from world class performers to bedroom pioneers.
Remember that the list is by no means exhaustive, but it represents an inspiring spectrum of talent that deserves to be recognized. So here, in no particular order, are the shining stars of piano on Instagram.
1. @pianodidi
A mysterious Swiss prodigy with an iconic hairstyle, Luca Di Salvo does vibrant, emotive covers of contemporary masters. Fans of Ludovico Einaudi and Yann Tiersen will find plenty to celebrate here.
2. @pianist.christian.grovlen
Christian Hundsnes Grøvlen is one of Norway’s greatest young concert pianists. He shares his lush, expressive interpretations of composers like Bach, Rameau, and Rachmaninoff in tastefully restrained black and white videos that give a glimpse of his life on and off the stage.
3. @jakobolsson_
Hailing from Sweden, Jakob Olsson has filled his feed with distinctive, lyrical, original compositions. The videos themselves are intimate, depicting an artist alone at work in his studio.
4. @thepianogram
After unexpectedly losing a beloved piano teacher, Nikita Zinzuwadia created @thepianogram as a tribute to inspire other musicians. Also, it is chock full of tantalizing pop tidbits like The Weeknd’s The Hills and Twenty One Pilots’ Stressed out.
5. @pianoaround
Dotan Negrin is not your typical pianist. In order to pursue a life of adventure, he quit his job and set out traveling from city to city, all around the world. The twist? He brings his upright piano everywhere he goes.
6. @pianolinde
There isn’t much we know about Linde, but she is rapidly gaining followers for her stunning, creative interpretations of artists from Schubert and Satie to Justin Timberlake and Beyoncé.
7. @lisafrolova
Russian pianist Elizaveta Frolova is an absolute powerhouse. Her blistering renditions of Debussy, Rachmaninoff, and other piano titans are guaranteed to leave you reeling. However, the account is not just for classical performances. Along with performance videos, her feed features sumptuous images of her life as a traveling concert pianist.
8. @nikowithapiano
Composer, performer, and producer Nikos Kotoulas’ makes spirited, emotionally compelling covers of all kinds of contemporary artists: The Chainsmokers, Drake, Justin Bieber, John Legend, Yves V, among many others.
9. @shishkindmitry
Dmitry Shishkin’s feed is filled with gorgeous concert halls and searing passages from some of the most challenging piano compositions. He runs the classical gamut, flawlessly executing pieces by Rachmaninoff, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Moszkowski, and many more.
10. @liampitchermusic
A professional DJ from South Africa, Liam Pitcher is all about the piano on Instagram. He features inventive improvised pieces alongside piano standards like Chopin, with contemplative quotes on music and “Name the Piece” posts to test your piano knowledge.
11. @marinainamerica
Serbian Piano star Marina Arsenijevic is a force of nature. She can burn down all the standards, but what shines especially bright are her own compositions, which blend music from many cultural traditions to create something at once foreign and familiar.
12. @pianomussic
This Spanish Instagrammer is a total mystery. What we do know is that he is a prolific maker of pop piano gold, who takes requests from his massive following. Here you can find pitch-perfect piano covers of Calvin Harris, Justin Bieber, The Chainsmokers, Adele, Sia, Coldplay and many, many others!
13. @yohankim0716
By far the youngest entry on this list, teenager Yohan Kim is a true prodigy from South Korea. He specializes in virtuosic jazz and funk improvisations and arrangements. Keep your eye out for a bright career!
14. @josh_stefanski
Josh Stefanski is dominating Instagram with his ingenious arrangements of, predominantly, classic themes from movies and television. Check out what he does with unforgettable songs from Pocahontas, Star Wars, Titanic, Game of Thrones, and others.
15. @krystlerm
Seattle native Krystle Rose is a performer and teacher whose videos feel like a special window on a master during practice. She plays all the classical piano standbys like Schubert and Beethoven, but her true passion is for energetic covers of Chopin.
16. @instagrampianoo
A talented young Swedish composer, Leonell Cassio earned his 50K+ followers by creating beautiful, inventive covers of contemporary pop hits, and cannily taking requests from his adoring audience. See what he does with songs like Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, DJ Snake and Justin Bieber’s Let Me Love You, and the best of Yiruma.
Play Rufus Wainwright’s arrangement of Hallelujah.
17. @valentina.lisitsa
Famous for achieving fame through YouTube, Ukrainian born Valentina Lisitsa is no stranger to using the internet to promote great piano music. Her classical repertoire is huge, her style is daring, and her Instagram feed shows a musician of rare form and good humor who is equally at ease in Royal Albert Hall and the local mall.
18. @life.is.a.piano
Another anonymous Instagram treasure, the 17 year old behind Life’s a Piano has a voracious appetite for everything from Chopin to Yann Tierson to Final Fantasy. He is relatively new to the platform compared to some others, but we’re expecting great things!
19. @francisco.casarotti
Born in Argentina, now living in Montreal, Francisco Casarotti presents the contemporary piano heavy hitters — but he’s best known for his enchanting, stylish Einaudi covers. In between performance videos, Casarotti posts romantic images of pianos in alluring locales.
20. @michell_keys
Michael Paiva is a master of all things groovy. He offers up original pieces as well as improvisational covers across a wide range of styles from jazz, soul, boss nova, and beyond. Artists he covers include Bill Evans, Norah Jones, John Legend, and Christina Perri.
Find Pianists on Instagram
There are so many pianists on Instagram. Our list is just a taste of the talent that is out there, and you can go forth and find more to follow.
Our list has followed a lot of pianists who share videos and made a name on Instagram. There are plenty of other pianists that are famous without starting out being “Insta famous” – James Rhodes is a great account to follow.
One of the cool features about Instagram is the ability to follow and find people based on Hashtags. You can go down a rabbit hole and spend hours doing this.
At the time of writing, a search on the Hashtag #Pianist has this result:
View this post on Instagram
Wow.
Instagram has an amazing algorithm that does the hard work. It brings the most “viral” and relevant videos to the top of results on filter searches too. Try it for yourself on the #Pianist results.
More potential tags you can follow include:
- #PianistsofInstagram
- #Pianista
- #Piano (of course)
- #PianoSolo
- #PianoCovers
These are just some to get you started. You may well see some of the videos of our “top 20” in your results, too.
Conclusion
There you have it. An unbelievable array of talent that demands to be heard. Everyone has their own definition of what makes a wonderful pianist, so you might even follow some that you can’t believe aren’t on our list.
Didn’t see your favorite Instagram pianist? Luckily, you can let us know in the comments below who you are loving and listening to.
Let your friends know about us.
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