Northwestern University Announces Recipient of 2025 Jean Gimbel Lane Prize

Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes receives $75,000, and will give a public recital and undertake two residencies at Northwestern

Awarded biennially, the Jean Gimbel Lane Prize was established in 2005 to honor pianists who have achieved the highest levels of national and international recognition.

The Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University has named pianist Leif Ove Andsnes as the 2025 recipient.

As part of the prize, Andsnes will receive a cash award of $75,000, and will also give a public recital and undertake two residencies at Northwestern. The first residency, in March 2026, will include master classes, chamber music coachings, and question-and-answer sessions. The second residency is set to take place in February 2027.

A celebrated pianist, Andsnes regularly plays recitals and concertos in the world’s leading concert halls and with its foremost orchestras. He is also an avid chamber musician and was the founding director of the Rosendal Chamber Music Festival, co-artistic director of the Risør Festival of Chamber Music for nearly two decades, and music director of California’s Ojai Music Festival in 2012.

He is also a prolific recording artist with a discography of more than 50 titles, and these discs have received eleven GRAMMY nominations and seven Gramophone Awards.

"I am very honored to receive the Jean Gimbel Lane Prize," Andsnes said. "I am very much looking forward to spending some time at Northwestern University and connecting with the students and audience there."

"From his award-winning and captivating recordings to his artistic partnerships with many of the most highly respected musical institutions around the globe, Leif Ove Andsnes represents the highest level of artistry," said Jonathan Bailey Holland, Dean of the Bienen School of Music. "We are pleased to recognize him with the Jean Gimbel Lane Prize and delighted that he will have the opportunity to work with Bienen students."

Previous recipients of the prize include Richard Goode (2006), Stephen Hough (2008), Yefim Bronfman (2010), Murray Perahia (2012), Garrick Ohlsson (2014), Emanuel Ax (2016), Marc-André Hamelin (2018), Sir András Schiff (2021), and Maria João Pires (2023).