Keval Shah is a London-born pianist, broadcaster and researcher, currently residing in Helsinki, Finland. After studying at Cambridge University and the Royal Academy of Music, Keval was appointed Lecturer of Lieder* at the Sibelius Academy at the age of 25, making him the institution’s youngest ever professor. He now divides his time between teaching at the Sibelius Academy and appearing in recitals at high-profile venues and festivals across Europe.

My route into classical music began at home. I come from a Gujarati family, but my parents were brought up in East Africa, as part of a large Indian diaspora, many of whom migrated to the UK in the 1970s. The world of classical music wasn’t something they ever had exposure to, but my sister and I were encouraged to start playing the piano from a young age. My parents didn’t really have the knowledge or understanding to monitor my practice or encourage any kind of routine, and so the piano was something I played just for fun, and my initial development was slow and inconsistent. Looking back, this early lack of rigour and discipline made it difficult for me to identify as a serious musician during my higher education, as so many friends had received more disciplined tuition.

It was at secondary school that the world of classical music opened up to me. I sang in the choir where I was immersed in so much incredible music, and found myself fascinated by its beauty and expressive power. Aged 16, I was accepted to the Royal Academy of Music’s Junior Academy, and it was here that I began to take my music-making more seriously. While my parents were always encouraging and aspired for their children to have a rich educational experience, there was some apprehension around my interest in studying Music at university. As classical music was so alien to my family, none of us (myself included!) could visualise what a career in the field might look like. But, I’m endlessly grateful that my parents trusted me, and valued my happiness and sense of fulfilment enough to support my decision to enter this profession. For many South Asians, pursuing a career in the arts is met with concern from their families - there’s definitely work to be done on raising awareness within our community of what these career pathways look like and to challenge the stigma associated with them.

I studied Music at Cambridge University, filling my days with chapel choir and serious academic study, which didn’t leave much time for piano practice - I actually stopped playing for a year! But, it was during this time that I discovered the world of song, and for the first time in my life I felt musically ‘at home’. I’ve always loved languages and poetry, and discovering a whole niche of classical music which pairs piano and voice, combining text and music, was completely thrilling for me. Even writing about it now, I get the same buzz in my body – the world of Lieder* is one which I find endlessly fascinating!

It was also at Cambridge that I first encountered racism and feelings of isolation and alienation. I became aware that I was one of very few South Asians musicians at Cambridge, and despite my musical childhood, I still felt like much of western classical music didn’t ‘belong’ to me. After a peer made a comment about how I should ‘go back to where I came from’, I began to internalise that I didn’t have the right background for a career in classical music, and that I would never really fit in. I confess that this feeling still hasn’t left me.

After Cambridge, I returned to the Royal Academy of Music to do a Master’s degree in piano accompaniment and chamber music. Musically and professionally, this was the most important time of my life. For the first time, I dedicated myself primarily to my relationship with the piano, building a serious technique and devouring repertoire. I spent more time in concert halls, and I became increasingly aware of just how few professional musicians there were who looked like me. I realized that I had never been able to visualise a career for myself as a pianist primarily because I had not seen other South Asians do it before me. It’s easy to underestimate the importance of representation in the industry - we don’t talk about this enough. I know I would have felt more confident had I seen other South Asian musicians in this field.

After my second stint at the Royal Academy of Music, I taught there for a year before taking up the position of Lecturer of Lieder* at the Sibelius Academy in Finland. I now divide my time between teaching in Helsinki and travelling for song recitals across Europe, with recent engagements including recitals at Wigmore Hall, Aldeburgh Festival, Heidelberger Frühling and Queen Elizabeth Hall.

I’m very proud of my heritage and it’s been wonderful to see more young musicians from South Asian backgrounds studying and pursuing careers in western classical music in recent years. I see no reason why this repertoire and culture can’t ‘belong’ to us as much as it does to western musicians, why we can’t bring to it our own perspectives and stories. The most valuable strengths to bring to this work are discipline, a strong work ethic, and imagination. I am dedicated to developing these elements of myself to drive my career forward – the rest is out of my control!

* Lied (plural Lieder) is German for ‘song’, but usually refers to a specific genre of German art song, typically for solo voice and piano.

New to Lieder? Here are Keval’s suggestions of where to start your listening journey:

1. Franz Schubert – Erlkönig

2. Ralph Vaughan Williams – Silent Noon

3. Hugo Wolf – An eine Äolsharfe

Alternatively, here is the Third Culture Collective’s Indian fusion arrangement of the Lied Im wunderschönen Monat Mai by Robert Schumann:

You can keep up to date with Keval’s career at keval-shah.com