Benyamin Nuss

Benyamin Nuss was born on June 20, 1989, in Bergisch-Gladbach. He began piano lessons at the age of six. He was inspired and encouraged by his father, trombonist Ludwig Nuss, and his uncle Hubert, a pianist—both internationally renowned jazz musicians and composers. As a result, Benyamin not only grew up with music of various genres but also made classical and jazz his true passion. At the age of ten, inspired by "Doctor gradus ad parnassum" from "Children's Corner," he began to intensively study its composer, Claude Debussy, and soon after, the works of Maurice Ravel. While initially fascinated primarily by the timbres and harmonies of the Impressionists, he soon found himself drawn more and more to the Romantics—Rachmaninoff, Liszt, and Chopin remain among his favorite composers to this day. Benyamin's sense of melody and his ability to feel music, to truly experience the composers' intentions, are particularly well-developed. The first prizes he won at the national competition "Jugend musiziert," the Steinway Competition (2005), the international competition "Prix d’amadeo de piano" (2006), as well as a scholarship from the "Best of NRW" foundation for highly gifted individuals, all demonstrate how elegantly and emotionally he internalized their music. Benyamin Nuss, who has been studying with Prof. Ilja Scheps at the Cologne/Aachen University of Music since 2008, lives his passion for music—in the conservatory, at piano concerts in the Berliner Philharmonie or the Alte Oper Frankfurt, and on tour with his father's jazz band.