AUSTRIA
Born in Zurich as the youngest son to a family of musicians, Rico Gulda grew up in Munich, where he studied the piano first with his mother Yuko, then continued with legendary German virtuoso Ludwig Hoffmann. At the Vienna Music University, he then studied with Noel Flores, while also working with his father, the late pianist-composer Friedrich Gulda. Post graduate training as an academic cultural manager at the University of Vienna followed.
Initially embarking on a career as pianist, he performed with international orchestras such as the Vienna Philharmonic, National Orchestra of Belgium, Czech Philharmonic of Brno, Verdi Orchestra Milan, Mozarteum Orchestra of Salzburg, Radio Orchestra Svizzera Lugano, and New Japan Philharmonic, and released recordings on the Naxos, Deutsche Grammophon, Orplid, and Amphion labels. Highlights have included televised performances of Mozart´s Triple Concerto with Martha Argerich (also released on CD/DVD), as well as performances with Renaud Capuçon, Matthias Goerne, Michael Schade, and the late Paul Badura-Skoda. His arrangement of Rossini's Semiramide Overture for Eight Pianos was performed and recorded at the Verbier Festival, featuring pianists Evgeny Kissin, Lang Lang, Leif Oves Andsnes, and Emanuel Ax, amongst others.
Mr. Gulda taught piano at Mozarteum University (Salzburg), Hansei University (Seoul), and in masterclasses in Vienna, Vietnam, and Japan.
In 2000, Rico Gulda began developing a career in music management: first in artist management and then as manager of Kristjan Järvis Absolute Ensemble in New York. He spent 15 years at the Wiener Konzerthaus, 12 as the head of artistic planning and dramaturgy, responsible for over 600 concerts per season. He is also artistic director of the Oberösterreichische Stiftskonzerte summer festival. He became general director of the Esterhazy Private Foundation is March 2025.
He now regularly holds music management workshops and is frequently invited as juror at major international piano competitions. He served on the jury of the 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.