Biography
“This young man is highly talented, full of imagination, and strives to shape every detail of a composition. We can already look forward to a great career from a particularly expressive musician,” — wrote Pierre Charron about Dominik after the concert for the International Chopin Society in Vienna.
Dominik Ilisz is a pianist in his 4th year of studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna in the class of Professor Christopher Hinterhuber, while simultaneously pursuing his university studies in Oradea, Romania, in the class of Professor Horia Maxim.
He has already performed on many major stages in Europe, including the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest, the Megaron Concert Hall in Thessaloniki, and the Philharmonic Hall of Patras (Greece). He has given concerts in Germany, Italy, France, Spain, and Austria. In 2024, he was invited to give a special solo recital at the Future Art Lab in Vienna on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the International Chopin Society.
A significant milestone in his career was his debut at the Wiener Staatsoper in 2024 and at the Wiener Musikverein in 2025, one of Vienna’s most prestigious concert halls.
His recent achievements include a 1st Prize at the Targu Mures International Piano Competition, a “Medalla d’Honor” at the 70th Maria Canals International Piano competition, special prize at the Ettlingen International Piano Competition and at the Bechstein-Bruckner Piano Competition in Linz, the Marianne Nadler-Preis awarded by the Beethoven Society in Vienna and the Anny Felbermayer Award, which he received in 2023 from the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. In 2024, he was nominated by the Radio Romania for the title of “Young Artist of the Year” at the International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) 2026.
He further shaped his musical education through masterclasses with notable figures such as Louis Lortie, Wojciech Świtała, Grigory Gruzman, Elizabeth Sombart, and Leonid Margarius.
In the upcoming months, he will appear as an invited artist in the Musethica Vienna session (November 2025), performing in eleven concerts across Austria.
In January 2026, he will perform at the Benjamin Prize Award Gala in Vienna, where—alongside solo works—he will also appear with cellist Péter Somodari, a distinguished member of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. This prize is presented annually by the Wolfgang Boesch Private Foundation to exceptionally successful young artists. Dominik received the award following his appearance at the Wiener Staatsoper, where he stepped in on short notice to replace another pianist and had to learn Liszt’s Reminiscences de Norma in less than two weeks.
In the 2026–2027 season, he will give a concert at the Musikverein in Vienna and will perform Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 together with several orchestras in Romania.
