Natalia Lentas – fortepiano Natalia Lentas was born in Poland in 1988. She completed her modern piano degree at the Karol Lipinski Academy of Music in Wroclaw (Poland) with Dr.Hab. Michal Szczepanski and at the Cologne University of Music and Dance with Prof. Jacob Leuschner. After that she continued her music education at the Cologne University of Music and Dance where she started her study in Fortepiano Performance at the Early Music Department with Prof. Gerald Hambitzer. She also took part in many piano and fortepiano masterclasses with: Christine Schornsheim; Bart van Oort; Wolfgang Brunner; Sheila Arnold; Gabriele Leporatti; Kristian Bezuidenhout and Lars Vogt. Currently (2017), Natalia is studying Meisterklasse at the Munich University of Music and Theatre with Prof. Christine Schornsheim and Konzertexamen at the Cologne University of Music and Dance with Prof. Gerald Hambitzer. PRIZES: 1st. Prize – Kulturkreis Gasteig Musikpreis 2017, Munich 2017 1st. Prize – Begründer-Graun-Preis International Competition, Bad Liebenwerda 2016 • 1st Prize International Geelvinck Fortepiano Concours, Amsterdam 2015 • 1st Prize at the 2nd Fritz Neumeyer Intern. Fortepiano Competition Bad Krozingen, 2015 • 1st Prize and special prize for the best performance of piece by J.S. Bach at the 5th International German-Polish Piano Competition. Poland, 2006 • 1st Prize at the Lanarca International Piano Competition. Cyprus, 2007 • 2nd Prize at 7th Halina Czerny-Stefanska National Piano Competition. Poland, 2004 • 2nd Prize at the Steinway Piano Awards. Düsseldorf, 2012. • 3rd Prize and special Prize for the best performance of piece by Milosz Magin at the “Milosz Magin” Chopin Competition. Poland, 2007 • 3rd Prize at the First Mozart Piano Competition Richard Laugs. Mannheim, 2011 • Special Prize at the 8th & 9th Chopin for the Youngest International Piano Competition. Poland, 2002 & 2004 • Special Prize at the Kosice International Piano Competition. Czech Republic, 2003 • Special Prize at the “Arthur Rubinstein in Memoriam” International Competition. Poland, 2009 • Special Prize for the best interpretation of F. Chopin at the International Piano Competition. Athens – Greece 2010. CONCERTS & FESTIVALS Natalia Lentas played solo and chamber music recitals at many concert halls in Europe. She performed at: Early Music Days in Herne, Germany; Piano Festival Ruhr, Bochum, Germany; WDR Open Auditions, Cologne; Studio Dumont, Cologne; Muziekgebouw Amsterdam; The Polish Piano Festival, Slupsk; Wroclaw Philharmonic Hall; Poland; Olsztyn Philharmonic Hall, Poland; Polish Institute, Leipzig ; Polish Institute, Dresden; Piano Museum “Haus Eller”, Bergheim or Goethe Museum, Düsseldorf. Since 2014 she performs regularly at the Beethoven Haus Bonn, playing on a Conrad Graf Fortepiano from 1824. SCHOLARSHIPS Natalia Lentas was awarded with scholarships in Polen and Germany for her musical achievements. She got the German Scholarship (Deutschlandstipendium) in 2015; Scholarship of the Minister of Culture of Poland (2002,2006) and Scholarship of the City of Wroclaw for young talented artist(2008/09/10). RECORDINGS A chamber music CD, recorded together with the Spanish saxophonist Joaquin Saez Belmonte comes out in summer 2016. This CD includes a selection of the 19th Century pieces composed for Alto saxophone and pianoforte. Website: https://www.natalialentas.com