David Munk-Nielsen has been recognised as one of the leading young concert pianists in the Nordic
countries after numerous concert appearances and top prizes in international piano competitions.
Most recently in October 2022, David successfully took part in the 5th International Maj Lind Piano
Competition in Helsinki and was awarded the 3rd prize.

Previous year in autumn 2021 David won the 1. prize in the national Tampere Piano Competition in
Finland as well as the 1. prize in Tallinn International Piano Competition in Estonia. In all three
finals David performed Brahms’ 2. piano concerto, with critics describing his interpretation as
”spot-on emotional expression, smooth technique, sonority, airiness and robustness” (Helsingin
Sanomat).

David Munk-Nielsen was born in 1998 in Copenhagen and started playing the piano at the age of 5.
When he was 6 years old, David participated in the TV show ”Me and my age” which was about the
development of the brain. Among other things, David played his first Chopin waltz.
From the age on nine, David took lessons with with professor Anne Øland until he entered the
Royal Academy of Music Aarhus at the age of 16. From 2017-2024 David studied at the Sibelius
Academy in Helsinki with prof. Erik T. Tawaststjerna, and as part of his education, in 2022/23
David also spent a year on exchange in Berlin at Universität der Künste with prof. Björn Lehmann.
From 2024 he is a student in the soloist class at the Royal Danish Academy of Music with prof.
Marianna Shirinyan.

Munk-Nielsen is the recipient of multiple awards in both danish and international piano
competitions: 1st prize at the North Zealand Piano Festival (2010), Gold medal in Berling Classical
Music Competition (2015), special prize at the 8th Nordic Piano Competition in Sweden for the best
interpretation of a romantic work (2017), 1st prize at International Stasys Vainiunas Competition in
Lithuania (2018) and the grand prix award in the Helmi Vesa piano competition for all pianists at
the Sibelius Academy (2019).

The same year in March 2019, David won the 2nd prize in the Aarhus International Piano
Competition as well as 2 special prizes (Carl Nielsen prize and EMCY prize).
David first appeared as soloist with orchestra when he was 13 years old touring Denmark and
Ireland with North Zealand Symphony Orchestra and has since performed with orchestras such as
Copenhagen Phil, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Tampere Philharmonic, Aarhus Symphony
Orchestra, Aalborg Symphony Orchestra, Estonial National Symphony Orchestra, and St.
Christopher Chamber Orchestra in Vilnius.

He played his first solo recital at the age of 15 and has since then played many recitals and
performed in festivals such as Hindsgavl Festival, Danish String Quartet Festival, Mänttä Music
Festival, Turku Music Festival, Sibelius Festival, Korsholm Music Festival, Mikkeli Music Festival,
Copenhagen Summer Festival, Helsingborg Piano Festival, Aarhus Chamber Music Festival,
Chamber Music at Lundsgaard and ”Festival & Friends” chamber music festival in Copenhagen.

David also received multiple grants, among others from the Wegelius Foundation in Finland, the big
Jacob Gade Prize in 2021 as well as the Jacob Gade Talent prize in 2015 for young Danish
musicians.

Hjem