Pianist Sebastian Knauer needs little introduction to SMF audiences, having appeared in most every season since 2004 in roles including recitalist, soloist, conductor and chamber musician. He began playing piano at age 4, and made his debut at the age of 14 at the Laeiszhalle in his hometown of Hamburg. Knauer has performed in more than 50 countries across four continents, playing at venues such as the Berlin Philharmonic, the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, London’s Wigmore Hall, the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, the Tonhalle in Zurich, the Konzerthaus in Vienna, Lincoln Center, the Harris Theater in Chicago, the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing and Toppan Hall in Tokyo. In 2012, Knauer founded Mozart@Augsburg, which takes place in the “Mozart City” of Augsburg, Germany. He is also the artistic director of the Internationale Musikfestwoche in Bad Berleburg and the Beethoven Festival in Aachen, both in Germany.