Prof. Thomas Steinhöfel

Thomas Steinhöfel was born in Königsee, Thuringia, and began taking piano lessons at the age of five. After attending the Special School for Music in Weimar—now known as the Music High School Schloss Belvedere—he studied at the FRANZ LISZT University of Music in Weimar from 1982 to 1988: piano with Prof. Volkmar Lehmann, artistic song interpretation with Prof. Ludwig Bätzel, and chamber music with Prof. Martin Högner. A two-year scholarship then took him to the “Franz Liszt” Academy of Music in Budapest, where he studied with Attila Némethy, Ferenc Rados, and Emília Varasdy. He gained further artistic inspiration through master classes with Victor Merzhanov, Bernard Ringeissen, Peter Feuchtwanger, Jürgen Uhde, and Peter Schreier.

Since 1990, he has taught piano, artistic song interpretation, and repertoire analysis at the FRANZ LISZT University of Music in Weimar; he was appointed professor there in 1993. In addition, he serves as the official piano accompanist for the Weimar Master Classes and the International LOUIS SPOHR Competition | Young Violinists. As a soloist, chamber musician, and art song accompanist, he has performed in Germany, France, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, the Netherlands, Brazil, and the United States. He has led guest master classes in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Finland, and Brazil.