Recognized as “one of the greats of her generation” (Pianist Magazine), Shani Diluka is an Exclusive Artist with Warner Classics, whose recordings regularly receive top critical acclaim: Diapason, Choc de Classica, Gramophone Selection, Japan Arena Award, as well as Arte and Mezzo’s Choice awards.
Born in Monaco to parents of Sri Lankan origin, Shani Diluka embodies a unique cultural synthesis of East and West. Discovered at the age of six through a talent-spotting program founded by Princess Grace of Monaco, she became the first student from the Indian subcontinent to be admitted to the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris, where she graduated with highest honors. She then joined the prestigious Lake Como International Piano Academy, an institution reserved for a select few pianists worldwide, presided over by the legendary Martha Argerich, where she met her mentor Leon Fleisher. She has since also benefited from the guidance of Murray Perahia, Elisabeth Leonskaja, and the late Alfred Brendel.
Her international career has taken her to the most prestigious concert halls: the Philharmonie de Paris, Wigmore Hall in London, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, La Fenice in Venice, the Konzerthaus in Vienna, Flagey in Brussels, the Tokyo Forum, the Ravinia Festival in Chicago, the Bergen International Festival, the Festival de La Roque d’Anthéron, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the Grafenegg Festival, the Schwarzenberg Festival, the Hohenems Schubertiades Festival, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, the Verbier Festival, and many others. She is a regular guest of renowned orchestras such as the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Sinfonia Varsovia, the Bergen Philharmonic, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, the Orchestre National de Bordeaux, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, the Heilbronn Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre National d’Île-de-France, the Tonkunstler Orchestra (Vienna), and the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, under the direction of conductors such as Lawrence Foster, Gábor Takács-Nagy, Ben Glassberg, Ludovic Morlot, Andrew Manze, and Vladimir Fedosseyev.
Her passion for chamber music is also noteworthy: she regularly collaborates with prestigious quartets—Ébène, Belcea, Ysaÿe, Modigliani, and Prazak—and shares the stage with leading artists and performers such as Gautier Capuçon, Natalie Dessay, Michel Portal, Gérard Depardieu, and Sophie Marceau.
Her discography, a reflection of her intellectual rigor and artistic imagination, includes bold and conceptual albums: Schubert’s Last Sonata, Cosmos (Beethoven and Indian ragas), The Proust Album (with the Paris Chamber Orchestra), Pulse (exploring the links between classical music and minimalism with the support of Philip Glass and Terry Riley), and her forthcoming album on Renaissance music and the Golden Ratio. These remarkable achievements have not only won over critics but also broadened her audience.
An accomplished pianist and poet, she is the author of the books “Canopées” and “Les Silences de Schubert,” the former of which is included in the French Academy’s Poetry list. She was recently named a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by the Ministry of Culture, a “100 Women of Culture,” and a Knight of Culture and Arts by Prince Albert of Monaco, highlighting her role as a major cultural ambassador between European traditions and the world.
Coming soon: her next album, entitled “Renaissance,” will be released in September 2025, with a special broadcast on Arte Concert.
Starting in the 2025/26 season, she will become the programmer of the renowned Sunday Morning Concerts, which are entering a new era at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.
A series of recordings with Warner Classics and major projects in collaboration with the Philharmonie de Paris are also in the works.
Deeply influenced by her Buddhist values, she sees music as a path to poetry, humanism, the sacredness of texts, and a source of universal inspiration, making her one of the most singular artistic voices of her generation. The Sunday Times describes her as “passionate, sensitive, and immensely gifted,” while the German magazine Fono Forum sees her as a “master of the mysterious whisper, transporting us to the stars.” She is also cited as an “exceptional performer” by Le Figaro, possesses “winged virtuosity, a profound and lyrical style that lingers long after the listener leaves the ear like a heady fragrance” (Choc Classica), and is hailed as a “great virtuoso of classical music” by France Inter.