“Ahfat is poised to become one of the young heirs of the classical piano realm, with a bold, boundary-pushing, millennial style matched by refined execution.”
–Vanguard Seattle
An artist that “leaves no question about his riveting presentation and technical finesse” (Seattle Times), Canadian pianist KEVIN AHFAT is acclaimed to be “poised to become one of the young heirs of the classical piano realm, with a bold, boundary-pushing, millennial style matched by refined execution” (Vanguard Seattle). Possessing “a balanced mix of expressiveness and virtuosity” (Musical America), he “summons plenty of thunderpower in the big moments, but clearly values musicianship over mere showmanship” (American Record Guide).
Highlights of recent seasons include engagements throughout North America and abroad, including at Toronto’s Koerner Hall, London’s Wigmore Hall, Montreal’s Maison symphonique and Bourgie Hall, New York’s Alice Tully Hall and Merkin Hall, and Boston’s Jordan Hall.
He has appeared recently at the La Jolla Music Society, Seattle Chamber Music Society, and the Vancouver Chamber Music Society, as well as the Music@Menlo, Rockport, Montreal, Laguna Beach, and Fall for Dance North festivals. Kevin has been broadcast often on CBC Music’s In Concert program and WFMT’s Dame Myra Hess Series, and contributed his playing to Yamaha Canada’s recent Dear Glenn AI Project.
In recent seasons, Kevin has joined the Esprit Orchestra for rarely heard works: Silvestrov’s Postludium for Piano & Orchestra (1984) and Hans Abrahamsen’s Double Concerto (2011), as well as premiering new works with Toronto’s contemporary groups The Happenstancers and Soundstreams. A cinematic dance film by Toronto-based film director Vikram Dasgupta and choreographer Jera Wolfe was released in 2024 in partnership with Fall For Dance North.
Kevin was named one of CBC Music’s 30 hot Canadian classical musicians under 30 in 2018, releasing a live recording of Brahms from CBC’s Studio 211. He has had the privilege of sharing the stage with renowned artists across many genres, including Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Stefan Jackiw, SO Percussion, Stella Chen, and Sonia Rodriguez.
Kevin continues performances and recordings as core member of the three-time Grammy-nominated ARC Ensemble, one of Canada’s preeminent chamber ensembles and foremost cultural forces. Their acclaimed releases on Chandos Records have been named to the “Top 10 classical musical albums of 2020” by The Boston Globe and one of WQXR’s “Best Classical Albums of 2020”.
Further highlights include a return to the Seattle Symphony at Benaroya Hall for its first-ever Shostakovich Concerto Festival, as well as mounting British choreographer Richard Alston’s Sheer Bravado (2006) in New York. He has also appeared as recent soloist with the Orchèstre symphonique de Trois-Rivières, Canadian Chamber Orchestra, Bellevue Symphony, Oakville Symphony, and the Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra of LA.
In early 2018, he was thrilled to give the North American Premiere of Camille Saint-Saëns’ Third Sonata for Cello and Piano (1919), recently published by Bärenreiter-Verlag, with French cellist Juliette Herlin. In anticipation of this premiere, Kevin filmed & produced a mini-documentary titled Soirée pour Camille, a short film documenting the historical context of the work and artists’ joint exploration of French music.
For several years, Kevin was an integral part of the Juilliard Open Classroom team where he helped to develop new digital music courses to reach musicians across the globe. In this capacity, he offered his skills as a teacher, curriculum writer, and course builder to a number of online courses, including JOC’s first release: Sharpen Your Piano Artistry. He was a curriculum writer for Piano Preludes: Bach, Chopin, and Debussy, offered through the online education platform edX.
Keen on inspiring the artistry of young musicians, he has taught masterclasses and coachings at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Royal Northern College of Music, Moravian College, Olympic College, the College of Southern Idaho, the International Conservatory Studio, Inc., and the University of Las Vegas.
A two-time winner of the Juilliard Concerto Competition, Kevin completed principal studies at the Juilliard School in New York under the tutelage of Joseph Kalichstein and Stephen Hough, and was in-residence as a Rebanks Fellow at the Royal Conservatory in Toronto. He is a grateful recipient of a Sylva Gelber Music Foundation Award and was a NFMC Artist Award recipient.
Kevin is Artistic Director of OPUS Chamber Music, Toronto’s newest premier hub for chamber music connecting audiences with dynamic and compelling artists who aim to excite, connect, and inspire.
