Christian Ihle Hadland has established himself as a true craftsman of the piano, a musician whose delicate, refined playing and individual touch have led him to the most prestigious stages in the world. Christian came to international attention in 2011 as a BBC New Generation Artist. As an NGA he performed with all four of the BBC’s symphony orchestras and broadcast solo and chamber recitals for the corporation in London. He also made his debut at the BBC Proms in London where he was praised by critics for his ‘pearly’ and ‘otherwordly’ sound.
Christian made his professional concerto debut at the age of 15 with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra (KORK). He has since performed with all the major orchestras in Scandinavia including the Swedish Radio and Danish National Symphony Orchestras, and the Royal Stockholm, Helsinki and Oslo Philharmonics and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra. In the UK he has appeared as a concerto soloist with the Hallé Orchestra, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Manchester Camerata, in addition to his work with the BBC orchestras. Recent engagements have taken him to the Orchestre National de Lyon, the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Danish Orchestra, the Bergen Philharmonic and the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra.
Christian is highly sought after as a chamber musician and has embarked upon a notable
partnership with the award-winning Swedish violinist Johan Dalene. He will perform with Dalene at Carnegie Hall in 2023, while also giving a solo recital at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. He has been Artistic Director of the International Chamber Music Festival in Stavanger, his hometown, since 2010.
He is a frequent guest at The Wigmore Hall, the Bergen International Festival and the Lofoten International Chamber Music Festival. Christian has performed at the BBC Proms
Chamber Music Series and in 2015 gave a three-week tour of Australia with the Australian
Chamber Orchestra. In 2006, he performed with soprano Renée Fleming at the Nobel Prize Award Ceremony in Oslo.
Christian is a respected and active recording artist. For BIS, he continues to record in duo with Johan Dalene following a debut recording in which he was described by BBC Music Magazine as ‘a superbly understanding piano partner.’ The recording was nominated for a Gramophone Award, following a Gramophone Editor’s Choice for his previous release on BIS, an album with the Danish cellist Andreas Brantelid. His recording in duo with Amalie Stalheim is scheduled for imminent release.
Christian was born in Stavanger in 1983 and received his first piano lessons at the age of eight. At the age of eleven he entered the Rogaland Music Conservatory, and in 1999 began lessons with Professor Jiri Hlinka, both privately and at the Barratt Due Institute of Music in Oslo.