Top 11 best pianists in the world today (2024 update)

There are many outstanding pianists in the world today; too many to put on a single list. But, now and then, musicians come along who are truly exceptional and stand out even among the very best.

In this article, I’ll talk about those pianists, the ones so good that they inspire us to learn and make us want to quit in equal measure.

How I chose the best pianists

Listing the best pianists and keyboardists in the world is a highly subjective task because while we can quantify technical ability somewhat, artists’ creative choices don’t hold the same value for every listener.

With so many world-class musicians to choose from, the first thing I did was set some guidelines that helped me rule out potential entrants, and the first is a fairly obvious one.

Since the list is naming the best pianists and keyboardists in the world today, I’ll only be selecting living artists (I told you it was obvious).

For the most part, I focused on artists who came to prominence in the 21st century, with a few exceptions.

There are enough lists specializing in classical or jazz pianists, so this time, I want to bring more versatility by highlighting artists from the classical and jazz worlds, along with some who play various sub-genres.

I know aiming for a versatile list means some specialists will miss out on a place, but every artist listed deserves their spot.

With some guidelines in place that are easier to set in stone (to an extent), I eliminated artists who didn’t qualify and focused on the creative criteria.

It’s fair to say that every musician on this list is a virtuoso by anyone’s standards and displays extraordinary technique.

Along with possessing virtuosic talent and technique, the artists that I’ve selected have greatly influenced other musicians and even musical genres.

When I think of my musical icons, I think of people who made me challenge myself and change my perception of what’s possible, and that’s what I consider to be the benchmark of a truly great musician.

Here are a few qualities that I looked for in each artist on the list:

• virtuosic technique,
• unique ability (unmatched technique or unique approach to various elements of music -rhythm, harmony, melody, etc.),
• perfect articulation,
• emotive and expressive playing.

Using the guidelines and criteria, I created a shortlist of 20 pianists, revisited their best works, and whittled it down to my top 11, which was easier said than done.

Pianist or keyboardist?

In the most straightforward sense, pianists play an acoustic piano, and keyboardists play one or more electronic keyboard instruments (stage pianos, synths, etc.).

Acoustic and electric instruments feel different, which brings different techniques and playing styles.

When discussing the best pianists, we can generalize them as musicians who typically play traditional or contemporary jazz or classical music to keep things simple.

We usually think of keyboardists as bandmembers who use various sounds (piano, synth leads/pads, strings, organs) and spend more time comping in the rhythm section and providing harmonic content than as a soloist.

There are exceptions, of course, but given those generalizations, I can understand why people often separate pianists and keyboardists.

The role of a typical keyboardist isn’t as physically or technically demanding as that of a concert pianist. However, it’s important not to dismiss every keyboardist as something of lesser value.

A great keyboardist often acts as a musical director with a wealth of knowledge of arrangement and instrumentation.

More importantly, many keyboardists are world-class pianists who just happen to play keyboards more on stage; Jordan Rudess is a prime example.

I chose to include pianists and keyboardists in one list because every keyboardist on this list is a world-class pianist, too.

So, in the context of this list, the only difference between a pianist and a keyboardist is the instrument they play on stage most often, and neither is better or worse by default.

Here are the greatest pianists and keyboardists in the world today:

Martha Argerich (born 1941)

The Argentine pianist Martha Argerich is widely considered to be the greatest living classical pianist, and I’m not about to argue with the masses.

Martha’s debut concert came in 1949 at just eight years old, six years before her family moved to Europe.

The world-renowned pianist is now in her 80s and still touring. If that isn’t impressive enough, Martha’s revered virtuosity shows no signs of diminishing.

Although much of the conversation around Martha’s performances these days focuses on her ability to travel and perform consistently at her age, it’s important to remember that her current level of performance would dazzle any audience now or decades ago.

As a classical pianist, there are very few honors that Martha hasn’t received, from awards to performing with leading orchestras.

Throughout her long and illustrious career, Martha has performed with almost every leading orchestra in America and Europe, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra.

In 1965, she won the Warsaw Chopin Competition and signed to the Deutsche Grammophon label.

Martha is known for her remarkable articulation while playing with sizzling intensity.

Jacob Collier (born 1994)

Jacob Collier is a multi-Grammy award-winning, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and singer; he does everything.

Although Jacob plays various instruments on stage, often playing keyboards and his trusty vocoder more than acoustic pianos, his first instrument is the piano, and he has impeccable technique.

Jacob comes from a very musical family, and his gift was nurtured early on at the Purcell School for Young Musicians before a brief time at London’s Royal Academy of Music.

He became prominent through several viral YouTube videos before being taken under the wing of the great Quincy Jones.

Jacob’s career has gone from strength to strength ever since. Many musicians and fans are fascinated by Jacob’s love of harmony and his views on the subject, particularly close and negative harmony.

I love listening to Jacob and watching him play because his enjoyment and love for music are infectious.

He also has an innate ability to learn and understand musical concepts at a remarkable pace and teach them very conversationally.

He also has incredible perfect pitch, if there wasn’t enough already.

Cory Henry (born 1987)

Cory Henry is another former child prodigy who grew up with gospel music around gospel musicians, which is an excellent musical education for anyone.

Cory began playing the Hammond organ at just two years old, and not too much later, he was performing in church and more than holding his own in one of the toughest gigs around.

As a teenager in New York, he performed regularly at the Village Underground, a hotbed for rising talent.

Although Cory was on the radar of New York’s jazz elite already, his gig as a keyboardist for the internationally acclaimed jazz funk band Snarky Puppy is what brought global attention.

The catalyst for widespread attention was undoubtedly his now famous solo on the Snarky Puppy tune “Lingus.” The solo is an example of musicianship and virtuosic technique of the highest order.

His keyboard and synth solos are generally admired for virtuosic prowess, but what I love about Cory at the piano is his impeccable taste.

What I mean is that he doesn’t waste notes just because he has the ability; he has a knack for always playing the right thing.

His connection to the instrument is unmatched; he’s the most emotive and expressive player.

Yuja Wang (born 1987)

Yuja Wang is a Chinese pianist who enjoyed critical acclaim as early as her teenage years.

But, she grabbed the international spotlight in 2007 when she replaced the incredible Martha Argerich as a soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Wang’s performance style is bold and unapologetic, so filling such big shoes wasn’t a problem for the former child prodigy.

Yuja Wang studied at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing before going on to the acclaimed Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.

The uniquely gifted pianist is known for energetic, charismatic performances; she is the epitome of a virtuoso.

One famous example of Wang’s virtuosity that I can relate to is her performance of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Flight of the Bumblebee.

I’ve tackled a pretty standard arrangement of this piece and did OK by conventional standards.

Yuja Wang often plays an arrangement by György Cziffra, and despite the far more challenging arrangement, makes my attempt sound like I was wearing boxing gloves.

The level of clarity and her perfect articulation are a joy.

Brad Mehldau (born 1970)

Brad Mehldau is one of my favorite pianists of all time and one of the most prominent figures in modern jazz history.

Brad released his first album, When I Fall in Love, in Barcelona in 1994. Although young, Mehldau was already forging relationships that would shape his career, most notably with Jorge Rossy, Joshua Redman, and later, Larry Grenadier.

A young Brad Mehldau also performed with jazz legends like the late great Jimmy Cobb, who etched his name in history by playing on Miles Davis Kind of Blue.

Many consider Mehldau’s most seminal works to be The Art of The Trio recordings (five volumes). The first volume came in 1997, and that trio, with Jorge Rossy and Larry Grenadier, set the benchmark for the modern jazz trio.

His playing style is often described as somewhere between Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, and Bill Evans.

Like Jarrett and Corea, Mehldau is an outstanding classical pianist, and his love of J.S. Bach is evident throughout his contrapuntal playing style.

Along with his contrapuntal style, particularly in improvisation, Mehldau is known for using quartal voicings and modal harmony.

Robert Glasper (born 1978)

Robert Glasper is an American pianist who blends jazz, hip-hop, and elements of various other genres uniquely.

Glasper graduated from Houston’s High School for the Performing Arts as a youngster before attending the School of Jazz at The New School in Manhattan, New York.

The decorated pianist has been nominated for 11 Grammy Awards and won five. Glasper didn’t stay on the traditional path as a jazz pianist, but his path shares similarities with some greats.

His first album, Mood (2004), was released by Fresh Sound New Talent, the same label a young Brad Mehldau debuted on. He had already shared the stage with artists like Christian McBride, Kenny Garrett, and Roy Hargrove.

After his debut album, Robert Glasper signed to the iconic Blue Note Records and quickly released another two albums within a few years.

2009 brought Glasper’s innovative album Double-Booked, where modal post-bop meets 80s Hancock-esque funk.

Soon after, The Robert Glasper Experiment was born, hip-hop became far more prevalent in the pianist’s work, and the influence of artists like J Dilla is evident. Black Radio and Black Radio 2 are considered modern classics.

As a pianist, he is known for complex harmony and rhymic patterns. If you haven’t watched his Capitol Studios piano performance, please do so; it’s stunning.

Jon Batiste (born 1986)

Jon Batiste is another artist who wears many hats and wears them well. He’s a multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter, composer, and bandleader.

The multi-award-winning Batiste attended The Juilliard School, where his peers instantly recognized his rare talent.

Batiste graduated with a Bachelor of Music and a Master of Music in jazz studies. Before Batiste was a Juilliard phenom, he studied at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts.

However, his musical journey started long before any formal education; Jon comes from a family of prominent New Orleans musicians and played percussion in the family band at eight years old before switching to the piano at 11.

Being surrounded by some of the best musicians in New Orleans is the perfect setting for any aspiring jazz pianist, but Jon studied classical music first, and he excelled by any standards.

Jon has gained fame by working as the bandleader and musical director on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. He has won an Oscar for his original score on Pixar’s Soul (2020), a Bafta Award, and five Grammy Awards.

What I love most about Jon is that despite composing music for various contrasting platforms, he never loses his identity; his work remains unmistakably Jon Batiste.

His blend of jazz, classical, and blues music is sublime.

DOMi Louna (born 2000)

DOMi is a young French keyboardist who makes up one-half of the jazz hip-hop fusion duo DOMi & JD Beck.

DOMi shot to internet stardom as a 17-year-old when a video of her sight-reading a transcription of Cory Henry’s infamous “Lingus” solo. As impressive as the video is, it was just the tip of the iceberg regarding DOMi’s talent.

After studying at Nancy Conservatory and the Paris Conservatory, where the admission rate is just three percent of applicants, DOMi graduated from Berklee College of Music.

DOMi is one of the artists you’ll typically see playing keyboards more than acoustic pianos on stage, but make no mistake, she is as credentialed a pianist as you’ll find at her age.

DOMi has a unique style that largely centers around uptempo virtuosity. Her hand independence is something to behold, even for professional musicians.

She regularly collaborates with notable artists like Thundercat, MonoNeon, and Anderson Paak. In fact, DOMi & JD Beck became the first act to sign to Anderson Paak’s Apeshit label.

While I’m not the biggest fan of every creative choice, I’m in awe of DOMi’s talent and a massive fan of her dedication to self-expression, which is why she inspires so many already.

Benjamin Grosvenor (born 1992)

Benjamin Grosvenor may be a surprising entrant for some, but I’m a keen admirer of the young British pianist.

Benjamin studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he studied under the renowned conductor Julian Perkins.

Upon graduation, Benjamin received the Queen’s Award for Excellence after being named the best overall student of the year (2012). Like the other artists on this list, Benjamin stood out, even among his incredibly talented peers.

Awards were nothing new to Grosvenor; he won the keyboard section of the BBC Young Musician in 2004.

Benjamin is also a very competent cellist; I believe playing other instruments helps develop a unique or more diverse style as a pianist.

Over the past decade, there are very few noteworthy concert halls that Grosvenor hasn’t played. His list of tour venues includes the Royal Albert Hall, Usher Hall, Symphony Hall, and Carnegie Hall.

The same can be said for the musicians he has shared the stage with, including the London Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and New York Philharmonic.

Benjamin’s virtuosic technique cannot be questioned; his emotional connection or storytelling has sometimes let him down.

However, when in top form, he delivers the perfect blend of blistering technique and captivating passion.

Daniel Barenboim (born 1942)

Daniel Barenboim is an Argentine-Israeli pianist and conductor and one of the most in-demand classical artists in the world.

Like his fellow Argentine, Martha Argerich, Daniel is over 80 years old and still performing.

The Berlin-based pianist spent over 30 years as the general music director of the Berlin State Opera and Staatskapellmeister of its orchestra.

Although he spent many years with the Berlin State Orchestra, he has also taken charge of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, La Scala (Milan), and the Orchestre de Paris.

Barenboim’s illustrious career has brought him many awards, including seven Grammy Awards.

After moving to Isreal in 1952, the 10-year-old Barenboim was soon labeled a prodigy by the likes of Igor Markevitch and Wilhelm Furtwängler.

Furtwängler provided an opportunity for the youngster’s first significant performance: Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto with the Berlin Philharmonic.

Barenboim’s musical style blends traditional ideologies and modern musicological research.

He is not a strict follower of the authentic performance movement and instead lets the harmony and rhythm of a piece guide his choices as a performer and conductor.

Jordan Rudess (born 1956)

It would be a crime for me to discuss keyboard players without mentioning Music Radar’s Best Keyboardist of All Time award winner, Jordan Rudess.

Jordan Rudess is an American keyboardist and composer best known for his role in the rock band Dream Theater. Dream Theater provides the perfect platform for Rudess to showcase his virtuosic and theatrical flair.

The uber-talented keyboard player delivers breathtaking solos that combine the brashness of prog rock with the intricacy of Bach’s inventions.

Although Jordan is famous as Dream Theater’s keyboard and synth master, his musical life began as a child prodigy in the realm of classical piano. The young Jordan Rudess attended the Juilliard School of Music Pre-College division for classical piano studies.

Jordan is a prolific studio and stage musician, and also makes time for industry tradeshows where fans can witness his talents up-close.

What I love most about Jordan’s playing is that it’s often over the top in terms of the note count, but it never sounds like too much.

He performs with such immaculate precision that nothing sounds out of place.

I also love his ability to take his audience on a whirlwind emotional journey through his playing.

Conclusion

As I said at the top, lists are subjective; undoubtedly, some exceptional pianists and keyboardists will be left out.

But, when discussing the best pianists and keyboardists today, everyone above certainly has to be in the conversation.

By making the list more diverse than the typical classical or jazz list, I hope that it introduces these artists to some new fans; I hope you enjoy it.