Zimerman Announces 2026 China Tour — Four Cities, No Shanghai Date

Wuxi Symphony Hall recently announced on their official WeChat account that Polish pianist Krystian Zimerman will return to China for a tour in November 2026.

Four Cities, Five Concerts

The published schedule:

• November 5 — Shenzhen Concert Hall
• November 8, 19:30 — Wuxi Symphony Hall
• November 11 — Tianjin Grand Theatre · Concert Hall
• November 13-14 — Xi'an Concert Hall (two performances)

The Wuxi concert is confirmed at 19:30. Start times for other venues have not been published. Xi'an gets two performances, for a total of five concerts across four cities.

Why Zimerman Matters

Zimerman won the Chopin International Piano Competition in 1975 and has been regarded as one of the most important living pianists for half a century. His public performances are rare — not from retirement, but from an almost obsessive standard for the sound of every concert. Since 1989 he has performed exclusively on his own piano, which travels with him and which he tunes himself.

He has collaborated with 142 conductors over his career, including Karajan, Bernstein, Abbado, Boulez, Haitink, and Rattle. His Chopin piano concerto recordings on Deutsche Grammophon set the record as the first quadruple-platinum classical album in history.

No Shanghai

As of publication, this tour does not include Shanghai. This is not surprising — Zimerman's city choices have never followed conventional touring routes, and he is famously particular about hall acoustics. If a Shanghai date emerges, we will update immediately.