Charl du Plessis rose to fame when he was the youngest pianist in Africa to be named a Steinway Artist. He has since embarked on an international career working simultaneously as classical and jazz pianist.
After debut performances in Hamburg (Elbphilharmonie), London (Royal Albert Hall), Berlin (Philharmonie) and Shanghai’s Oriental Arts Centre, Charl became the first pianist ever to perform on top of Table Mountain. He was invited to perform at the opening of Steinway Hall (Beijing) and have performed with Chick Corea and Joja Wendt. Concert tours to the USA, Europe and the Far East have contributed to the press hailing him as a “cult pianist”, an “edutainer” and a pianist with the “x-factor".
Since establishing his own jazz trio in 2006, Charl has won numerous awards and recorded more than 10 albums.
Charl has held a teaching position at the University of Pretoriafor the past 14 years. He performs more than 130 concerts per season and pursues a comprehensive approach to the musical profession, handling his own management and recording under his own independent label.
Charl studied with master piano teacher Joseph Stanford at the University of Pretoria and was the first student to complete a doctoral performance degree specialising simultaneously in classical and jazz piano. He also studied with well-known musicians like György Sebök (Ernen, Switzerland), Dan Hearle and Stefan Karlsson at the University of North Texas (USA) and Ulrich Koella at the Musikhochschule Winterthur (Zurich, Switzerland). He has been the recipient of major prizes at international scholarship competitions of the University of South Africa (UNISA) and the South African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO).
Spoken language: English