Bösendorfer Artists & Friends



The soul of every instrument can only blossom through the passion of the people behind it. Since its inception, the history of Bösendorfer has been inextricably linked to the great interpreters, teachers, and passionate music lovers. Deeply rooted in the company's tradition is the connection with everyone who makes every fibre of the instrument sound.

A

ABBA 
Doris Adam 
Carmen Adnet-Graf
Nazanin Aghakhani 
Monty Alexander 
Geri Allen 
Giovanni Allevi 
Wolfgang Ambros 
Tori Amos
Donka Angatscheva 
Emilio Angulo 
Paul Anka 
Francisco Araiza
Nareh Arghamanyan
Jan Jiracek von Arnim
Stefan Arnold 
Racha Aronsky 
Peter Aronsky 
Susanna Artzt 
Vladimir Ashkenazy 
Stefan Askenase 
Christian Ludwig Attersee
Arleen Auger 
Leonore Aumaier 
Charles Aznavour

B

Margarete Babinsky
Wilhelm Backhaus
Michael Badura 
Paul Badura-Skoda
Gile Bae
Ingeborg Baldaszti 
Jerome Barry 
Karl Barth 
Béla Bartók 
Elena Bashkirova 
Count Basie 
Roland Batik
Yuko Batik
Gabriele Benackova-Cap
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli
Tony Bennett
Alban Berg 
Teresa Berganza 
Christoph Berner 
Elmer Bernstein 
Leonard Bernstein
Beatrice Berrut
Walter Berry 
Joseph Beuys 
Aris Alexander Blettenberg
Idil Biret 
Franz-Josef Birk 
Franco Bonisolli 
Bonney M
Victor Borge
Pierre Boulez
Johannes Brahms 
Richard Branson 
Alfred Brendel 
Dave Brubeck
Rudolf Buchbinder
Markus Burger
Giovanni Bria 
Anton Bruckner 
William F. Buckley jun. 
Ferruccio Busoni 

C

Ignasi Cambra
Bruno Canino
Maria-Luisa Cantos 
Pablo Casals 
José Carreras 
Benny Carter
Lucinda Carver
Gary Chang
Chevy Chase 
James McChesney 
Billy Childs 
Aldo Ciccolini 
Stanley Clark
Dagmar Clottu 
Federico Colonia 
Imogen Cooper 
Chick Corea 
Alfred Cortot 
Bing Crosby
Carl Czerny

D

Carmen Daniela 
Georg Danzer 
Dennis Russel Davis
Marcus Davy 
Michael Deaver 
Helmut Deutsch 
Mike Del Ferro 
Rick Dellaratta
Dora Deliyska
Jörg Demus 
Robert Dennison 
Anton Dermota 
Marie & Claire Desmoulin
Monika Doerfler
Sir Niels Lan Doky
Placido Domingo 
Klaus & Helen Donath 
Nico Dostal 
Evelyne Dubourg 
George Duke 
Antonin Dvorák

E

Gottfried von Einem 
Bruno Eisner**
George Ebert 
Peter Efler 
Bertha Engel**
Duke Ellington 
Philippe Entremont 
Ivan Eröd**
Christoph Eschenbach
Harmut Esslinger

F

Brigitte Fassbaender 
Michael Fennelly 
Marialena Fernandes
Elena Filonova 
Annie Fischer 
Edith Fischer 
Julius Fischer**
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau 
Roberta Flack 
Matthias Fletzberger**
Noel Flores 
Homero Francesch 
Aretha Franklin 
Ingeborg Franzen
Albert Frantz 
Justus Franz 
Emil Friedberger**
Rudolph Friml
Yukino Fujiwara

G

Peter Gabriel 
Irwin Gage 
Sergio Gallo 
Rudolph Ganz
Mark Gasser
Mitzi Gaynor
Fabio & Sandro Gemiti
Sona Ghazarian
Antonie Geiger**
Richard Gere
Gordon Getty
Emil Gilels
Pavel Gililov
Saskia Giorgini
Richard Glas**
Bernd Glemser
Jesus Gonzales-Alonso**
Michael Gore
Gabriel Gorog
Ralf Gothoni
Hans Graf
Carlo Grante 
Tibor Grasser
Johanna Gröbner
Edita Gruberova
Alfred Grünfeld
Frederike Grünfeld**
Friedrich Gulda
Paul Gulda
Rico Gulda
Simeon Goshev

H

Friedrich Haider
Ingeborg Hallstein 
Marvin Hamlisch 
Marc-André Hamelin
Thomas Hampson 
Lionel Hampton 
George Harrison 
Michael Allan Harrison
Hideyo Harada 
HAVASI
Haruna Hirao
Gert Hecher 
David Helfgott
Gottfried Hemetsberger 
Tom Hewson
Markus Hinterhäuser 
Christopher Hinterhuber 
David Hirschfelder 
Yuko Hisamoto
Thomas Hlawatsch 
Friedrich Hoericke 
Margarita Höhenrieder 
Hans Höpfel**
Dustin Hoffman 
Ludwig Hoffmann 
Leonard Hokanson 
Hugo Holik
Robert Holl 
Bob Hope
Stephen Hough
Nóra Emödy & Ahmed Abou-Zahra 
Michael Hruby 
Marc Hunziker
Manfred Huss

I

Janice Ian 
Abdullah Ibrahim 
Silvaine Ilario 
Akira Imai 
Madoka Inu

J

DD Jackson 
Michael Jackson
František Janoska
Judith Jáuregui
Alexander Jenner**
Steve Jobs 
Billy Joel 
Gwyneth Jones 
Michael Jones 
Quincy Jones
Vakhtang Jordania**
Dorothea Josefowitz**

K

Takashi Kako 
Emmerich Kálmán 
Hans Kann 
Herbert van Karajan 
Christiane Karajew 
Gita Karasik 
Seth Kaufman 
Urho Kekkonen 
Oliver Kern*
Rainer Keuschnig 
Dorothy Khadem-Missagh
Wilhelm Kienzl 
Jeong-Won Kim**
Daumantas Kirilauskas
Yoshiko Kishino 
Akiko Kitagawa**
Wilhelm Klassen**
Walter Klien**
Julia Kociuban 
Zoltán Kodály 
Josephine Koh
Till Alexander Körber
Anna Magdalena Kokits
Lubka Kolessa**
Tomasz Konieczny
Alfons & Aloys Kontarsky
Bela Koreny
Alexei Kornienko 
Avedis Kouyoumdijan*
Alfredo Kraus 
Emilie Krebs**
Georg Kreisler 
Gidon Kremer 
Ernst Krének 
Lior Kretzer 
Thomas Kreuzberger 
Joan Kroc 
Johannes Kropfitsch**
Florian Krumpöck
Eduard & Johannes Kutrowatz
Toshihiro Kaneshige

L

Peter LaHaye 
Mads Langer
Elena Larina
Johanna Jimin Lee**
Marianne Lederer**
Franz Léhar 
Robert Lehrbaumer 
Konrad Leitner 
Jean Lemaire 
Jack Lemmon
Rodolfo Leone*
Hans Leygraf 
Cecilia Li
Adela Liculescu**
JJ Lin
Marjana Lipovšek 
Michael Lipp 
Valentina Lisitsa 
Franz Liszt 
Margarete Löwit**
Bob Long 
Yvonne Loriod
Louis Lortie 
Jacques Loussier 
Christa Ludwig 
Gianluca Luisi 
David Lutz

M

Nikita Magaloff 
Lorin Maazel 
Gustav Mahler 
Oleg Maisenburg 
Adam Makowicz 
Alan Mandel 
Alexander Mandeltort**
Wolfgang Manz 
Christos Marantos
Rosario Marciano 
Johannes Marian 
Giuseppe Mariotti
Ana-Marija Markovina
Maria Mazo*
Paul McCartney 
Leon Francis McCawley*
Ingrid Marsoner 
Guido Mayer **
Heinz Medjimorec 
Aaron Mendelssohn 
Yehudi Menuhin 
Oliver Messiaen
Brigitte Meyer**
Aleksandra Mikulska
Anthony J. Millard 
Stephan Möller 
Dudley Moore 
Olive Moorefield 
Barbara Moser 
Eduard Mrazek**
Olli Mustonen
Aziza Mustafa-Zadeh 
Anne Sophie Mutter
Taras Mykyscha**

N

Naoko Nagaoka-Knopp**
Maki Namekawa
Napoleon III (Eugenie) 
Gregorio Nardi 
Mariam Nazarian 
Willie Nelson 
J.B. Nethercutt 
Elly Ney 
Stevie Nicks 
Francesco Nicolosi
Anna Nikel**

O

Johan O'Conor**
John O'Conor*
Garrick Ohlsson 
David and Igor Oistrach 
Ferhan & Ferzan Önder 
Gerhard Oppitz 
Harald Ossberger 
David Owen-Norris 
John Owings

P

Marialy Pacheco
Lois Carole Pachucki*
Ignacy Paderewski 
Aimo Pagin
Charlemagne Palestine 
Natalia Pankova*
Anthony & Joseph Paratore 
Güher & Süher Pekinel 
Alfredo Perl 
Hans Petermandl**
Oscar Peterson 
Roberta Pili**
Erika Pluhar 
Robert Pobitschka 
Dagmar Pöltl-Cesnik**
Jean-Luc Ponty 
Lucia Popp 
Carmen Lopez Portillo 
Viktoria Postnikowa 
André Previn 
Hermann Prey 
Margaret Price 
William Primrose 
Elsa Prinz**
Meinhard Prinz

R

Kurt Rapf 
Roland Raupenstrauch**
Freddie Ravel 
Stefanie Rath**
Donald Regan 
Gabor Reijto 
Dianne Reeves 
Lionel Ritchie 
Konrad Richter 
Sviatoslav Richter 
David Robinson
Eduardo Rojas
Dario de Rosa
Jerome Rose 
Peter Rosegger 
Carol Rosenberger 
Mstislav Rostropovich
Gonzalo Rubacalba 
Allen Roubik
Anton Rubinstein 
Arthur Rubinstein 
Herbert Rüdisser
Eugenie Russo

S

Masako Sakai 
Matti Salminen 
Roman Salvatore 
Arturo Sandoval 
Emil von Sauer 
Matt Savage 
Wolfgang Sawallisch 
Fazil Say
Serene
Johannes Schaaf 
Steffan Scheja
Philipp Scheucher 
András Schiff 
Lalo Schiffrin 
Ragna Schirmer 
Ronald Schneider 
Arnold Schoenberg 
Peter Schreier 
Gilbert Schuchter 
Claus Christian Schuster 
Gilbert Schuchter 
Ingmar Schwindt 
Bob Seger 
George Shearing 
Norman Shetler 
Henri Sigfridsson 
Antti Aleksi Siirala 
Rick Silanskas 
Jan Simon 
Mzia Simonishvili 
Frank Sinatra 
Wibi Soerjadi 
Vladimir Sokoloff 
Christoph Soldan 
Matthias Soucek 
Charles Spencer 
Jasminka Stancul 
Max Steiner 
Robert Stempel 
Hans-Peter & Volker Stenzl 
Sting 
Johann Strauß 
Gerda Struhal 
Cheryl Studer 
László Szelényi

T

Melvin Tan 
Peter Takacs 
Jeffrey Tate 
Cecil Taylor 
Dan Tepfer 
John Tesh 
James Tocco 
Yoko Tokue
Sayaka Tomioka
Christoph Traxler
Daniil Trifonov
Veronika Trisko
Marie Turzansky**
Joseph S. Tushinsky 
McCoy Tyner

U

Mitsuko Uchida*
Makoto Ueno
Florian Uhlig 
Mihaela Ursuleasa 
Craig Urquhart 
Peter Ustinov

V

Ambrosio Valero
Vangelis 
Jimmy van Heusen
Wessel van Wyk**
Vienna Art Orchestra 
Pieter van Vollenhoven 
Natasa Velijkovic 
Stefan Vladar*
Anton Voigt 
Ana Voileanu-Nicoară
Anna Volovitch

W

Leopold Wagner**
Richard Wagner 
Manfred Wagner-Artzt 
Anna & Ines Walachowsky 
Jerry Jeff Walker 
Gottlieb Wallisch 
Maria Walzer
The Washington Music 
Hans Weber**
Konstantin Wecker
Robert Weirich 
Erik Werba
Robert Werner 
Randy Weston
Roger Whittaker 
Elzbieta Wiedner-Zajac 
Wiener Philharmoniker 
John Williams 
Kenneth Willson
Peter Wolf 
Senka Wolfrum 
Stevie Wonder 
Ron Wood 
Rosemarie Wright**
Christine Wu
Ying Wu

Z

Gheorghe Zamfir 
Frank Zappa 
Joe Zawinul
Julius Zeman 
Alexander Zemlinski**
Henriette Zettermayer**
Franz Zettl 
Axel Zwingenberger

*  Winner of the International Beethoven Piano Competition Vienna
** Winner of the Bösendorfer Piano Competition

The Bösendorfer Ring


In the spirit of its founders Ignaz and Ludwig, Bösendorfer donated a golden ring set with diamonds to honour the artistic and social commitment of a pianist in 1953. It is also intended to convey the idea that living sound diversity not only enriches us all, but that listening to and listening together can also symbolise peaceful coexistence.

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Photo: Alexander Barylli (Fayer)

The Ring Bearer 

The Bösendorfer Ring was first awarded to Wilhelm Backhaus in 1953 on the occasion of the company's 125th anniversary. The honour took place after the gala concert of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Clemens Krauss, in which Backhaus himself played.

Paul Badura-Skoda received the Bösendorfer Ring in 1978 after the celebrations to mark the company's 150th anniversary with a Philharmonic concert conducted by Horst Stein.

After his solo concert in June 2024 in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein, Sir András Schiff received the Bösendorfer Ring and was also awarded the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art 1st Class.

What all ring bearers have in common is that they have performed and still perform on international stages and carry the Bösendorfer sound out into the world. They are important ambassadors for the diversity of sound in general and the specific Bösendorfer sound in particular.