Praised for her “astonishing combination of depth of expression and thrilling virtuosity” (Nassauische Neue Presse), German pianist Dr. Eva Schaumkell has earned acclaim on three continents as a brilliant soloist, chamber musician, and educator. A versatile artist of rare distinction, she is the Gold Medalist of the 2018 International James Ramos Piano Competition and the 2014 International Siegfried Weishaupt Piano Competition, and a prizewinner at the Coeur d’Alene, Thürmer, and Jugend Musiziert Competitions. Her artistry has been further recognized with the Carl Maria von Weber Scholarship, the Deutschlandstipendium, USC Thornton Music Scholarship, and the prestigious Drosihn Prize.  

 

Recent and upcoming highlights include concerto performances with the New West Symphony, South Coast Symphony, Vicente Chamber Orchestra, and Cairo Symphony Orchestra, where she performed Beethoven’s Concerto No. 1 at the Cairo Opera House under Maestro Ahmed El Saedi. She has also appeared with the London Spring Sinfonia in Schumann’s Piano Concerto. Recital and festival appearances span prestigious stages such as Walt Disney Concert Hall, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Steinway Hall London, Buckingham Palace, Stadthalle Weilburg, Coselpalais Dresden, Le Salon de Musiques (Los Angeles), MusicAlp Festival (France), and the City of London Festival. In North America, she has been featured at series including the Da Camera Society, Music Guild, Allied Concert Services tour, Ocean Grove Summer Stars Festival, Sarasota Artist Series, Camerata Musica (WA), Opera Steamboat, and Kultur unter’m Dach (Germany).  

 

Dr. Schaumkell frequently tours with her husband, pianist Vijay Venkatesh, as the Vieness Piano Duo, enchanting audiences with their electrifying performances throughout the United States and Europe.  Equally committed to teaching, Dr. Schaumkell is in high demand as an Artist Teacher and adjudicator at international festivals and competitions. She has given residencies and masterclasses across the U.S., including the State College of Florida, Riverside City College, and Pacific Lutheran University. She maintains an active private studio in Pasadena, coaches chamber music for Junior Chamber Music, and serves as Associate Professor of Piano at Irvine Valley College and Riverside City College. She is also a featured artist on Tonebase, where her performances and insights reach a global community of pianists.

 

 Dr. Schaumkell earned her Doctor of Musical Arts with distinction at the USC Thornton School of Music under renowned pedagogue Daniel Pollack, where she also served as Teaching Assistant. She holds a Master’s degree from the Hochschule für Musik Dresden with Winifried Apel and a Bachelor’s degree from the Guildhall School of Music in London with Peter Bithell.

 

Her artistic development was further shaped by mentorship with legendary pianists including Fabio Bidini, Norman Krieger, Jeffrey Kahane, Cyprien Katsaris, Pascal Devoyon, Vanessa Latarche, Dmitri Alexeev, Dominique Merlet, Victor Rosenbaum, and Ivari Ilja.