An "extraordinary" performer (Figaro) gifted with "winged virtuosity" (Classica), Shani Diluka builds a bridge between East and West.
Born in Monaco to Sri Lankan parents, she was noticed at the age of six when she entered a young talent discovery programme initiated by Princess Grace of Monaco. That day she was selected to take part in a specialised programme at the Prince Rainier III Academy of Music and Theatre. She continued her education by entering the conservatory in Paris, from which she graduated with the highest degree. During this period, she met Leon Fleisher who’s philosophy had a definite impact on her career. Her meetings with Maria João Pires, Menahem Pressler and Murray Perahia, resulted in invitations to work with them. In 2005, Shani studied at the International Piano Academy Lake Como.
Diluka has worked with numerous orchestras such as Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Sinfonia Varsovia, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, Royal Swedish Orchestra, Bremen Symphony Orchestra, Freiburg Symphony Orchestra, Tonkunstler Orchestra of Vienna, the Kyushu Symphony Orchestra in Japan. She has collaborated with renowned conductors such as Lawrence Foster, Vladimir Fedosseïev, Ludovic Morlot, Eivind Gullberg Jensen and Gábor Takács-Nagy.
As a recitalist, Shani Diluka has performed in many prestigious concert halls such as the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, La Fenice Theatre in Venice, Sala de São Paulo, Arsenal in Metz, Bucharest Philharmonic, Auditorium of Radio France, Théâtre des Champs Elysées, La Philharmonie in Paris, Wiener Konzerthaus and the Salzburg Mozarteum. She also appears on festivals like the Folle Journée de Nantes, Verbier Festival, Ravinia Festival in Chicago, the Schubertiades in Austria, La Roque d'Anthéron and the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Her career has been enriched by collaborations with soloists Natalie Dessay, Karine Deshayes, Michel Portal, and with composers W. Rhim, K. Beffa and B. Montovani, whose Cinq pièces en hommage à Paul Klee she premiered. But she also worked with great names of the cinema such as Sophie Marceau, Gérard Depardieu, Hippolyte Girardot or Charles Berling.
Passionate about chamber music, Shani is also a regular partner of renowned ensembles, for example the Ébène, Ysaÿe, Prazak, Modigliani and Belcea quartets.
As a recording artist, Shani receives international critical acclaim. Her solo albums of Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Schubert and Grieg were highly praised with quotes such as: “her profound and melodious interpretations linger like a fragrance long after her performances” (Choc de la Musique), “the prodigious talent of Shani Diluka, her brilliant personality, and her capability of squeezing out the music to its last essence, is rare and beautiful" (Arte).
In 2014, she recorded an album with American avant-garde music called "Road 66" and in 2017 she released her cd "Symphony of the Birds" and an album with the complete works for cello and piano with cellist Valentin Erben of the Alban Berg Quartet.
Inspired by the historical connection between C.P.E. Bach and Mozart, Shani recorded the Concerto Wq23 by Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach with the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, conducted by Ben Glassberg which was released in 2019 on the Mirare label. This album project, in collaboration with the Fondation Royaumont, using historical and modern pianos, received international recognition and the highest praise (4FFFF) from Telerama.
In 2020 Shani signed an exclusive worldwide contract with Warner Classics. This made her the first South Asian Artist to join the legendary catalogue as exclusive Warner Artist for different exciting recording projects, such as her recording “Cosmos”: a programme created around the link between Beethoven and Indian music, whose mysticism inspired the composer.
Her new album “Proust” that includes music by French composers, will be released in the autumn of 2021.
Her sense for building bridges will result in a special recording project with DJ Carl Craig. Together they will reveal the historical link between Electro and minimalist composers. The release of this disc is planned in the autumn of 2022.
Shani Diluka’s lyrical inspiration goes further than only piano playing, as she also writes poetry. Her first collection of poems, published in 2018 by Editions Art3, was included in the short list of Académie Française Awards.
She has also published several books with a CD for children with the publishers Didier Jeunesse and La Dolce Vita, which were also broadcast via Radio Classique.
