DILUKA
ABOUT SHANI DILUKA
Shani Diluka is internationally recognized as one of the most original and deeply poetic pianists of her generation.
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She is an exclusive recording artist with Warner Classics and her work is regularly distinguished by the highest critical honors, including the Diapason, Choc de Classica, Gramophone Selection, Japan Arena Award, or choice of Arte and Mezzo.
Her next album “Renaissance” will be released in September 2025 with a special broadcast on Arte Concert. From the 2025/26 season, she becomes artistic director of the celebrated Concerts du Dimanche Matin, now entering a new era at Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.
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Born in Monaco to Sri Lankan parents, pianist Shani Diluka represents a unique cultural bridge between East and West. Discovered at the age of six through a talent program founded by Princess Grace of Monaco, she went on to become the first student at the Paris Conservatoire to come from the Indian subcontinent where she graduated with highest distinction and 1st prize .
She was later selected to join the prestigious Lake Como International Piano Academy, an institution reserved for a selected few artists worldwide presided by legendary pianist Martha Argerich, where she meets her mentor Leon Fleisher but also Menahem Pressler. She has the privilege to receive advice from Murray Perahia, Elisabeth Leonskaja and late Alfred Brendel.
Deeply influenced by her Buddhist values, she sees music as a path to inner peace, human connection, and mindful compassion. Her playing and curatorial work are shaped by poetry, humanism, respect of heritage and manuscripts and intercultural inspiration, making her one of the most distinctive artistic voices of her generation. "Passionate, sensible and immensely gifted“ is what the Sunday Times describes her, and the German Magazine Fono Forum sees Shani Diluka as a „master of the whispering mystery, taking us to the stars." She is described as an “extraordinary interpreter” (Le Figaro), endowed with “winged virtuosity” (Classica), and as “one of the greats of her generation” (Piano Magazine).
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Her international career has taken her to the most prestigious venues worldwide: Philharmonie de Paris, Wigmore Hall, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, La Fenice Venice, Konzerthaus Vienna, Flagey in Brussels, Tokyo Forum, Ravinia Festival Chicago, Bergen International Festpiel, La Roque d’Anthéron, Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Graffeneg Festival opening, Schwarzenberg and Hohenems Schubertiade, La Roque d’Anthéron Festival, Sao Paolo Teatro Municipal, Salzburg Mozarteum, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg or the Verbier Festival.
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As a soloist, she performs with leading orchestras including the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Sinfonia Varsovia, Bergen Philharmonic, Royal Swedish Orchestra, Orchestre National de Bordeaux, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, Heilbronn Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National d’Île-de-France, Tonkunstler Orchestra Vienna, Japan Kyushu Symphony or Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, under the baton of distinguished conductors such as Lawrence Foster, Gábor Takács‑Nagy, Ben Glassberg, Ludovic Morlot, Andrew Manze or Vladimir Fedosseyev.
Her passion for chamber music is equally strong: she regularly collaborates with top string quartets — Ebène, Belcea, Ysaÿe, Modigliani, Prazak — as well as with prominent soloists and cross-disciplinary artists including Gautier Capuçon, Natalie Dessay, Michel Portal, Sophie Marceau and Gérard Depardieu. Shani Diluka’s discography reflects both her intellectual rigor and artistic imagination. Albums such as Schubert last sonata, Cosmos (Beethoven and Indian Ragas), The Proust Album (with the Orchestre de chambre de Paris), Pulse (exploring links between classical and minimalist music with the support of Philip Glass and Terry Riley), and her upcoming album around Renaissance music and heritage demonstrate her ability to craft conceptual programs that cross genres and disciplines. These works have not only earned critical praise but also made a strong impact on broader audiences.
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In parallel with her concert career, Shani Diluka is deeply committed to education. She leads an Excellence Class in piano and chamber music at the Académie Rainier III in Monte Carlo. She also returns regularly to her native Sri Lanka to offer masterclasses for young emerging talents and to support the National Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka, both as a soloist and mentor — bringing vital artistic energy to the country’s musical life. A true pianist-thinker, Shani is also a published poet and writer, author of «Canopées» and «Schubert Silences», listed by the Académie Française.
She was recently knighted Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture, in Fance but also by the Prince Albert of Monaco, «Cultural woman of the year» further affirming her role as a major cultural ambassador for both European and Asian traditions.
Future projects include a series of releases with Warner Classics, major projects with Philharmonie de Paris and as an artistic programmer at Théâtre du Châtelet, Shani Diluka brings a bold and poetic vision to classical music. Drawing on her dual cultural heritage and internationally acclaimed career as a pianist, she breathes new life into this morning series, weaving meaningful connections between the classical repertoire and the pressing questions of our time.