Edward
Ahlbeck Glader

"Edward Ahlbeck Glader unites musical maturity with sincere playing and a passionate expression. His generous musicianship and strong charisma always feels spontaneous and his interpretation is created in the moment." - Jury of Polar Star Prize 2026

Swedish pianist Edward Ahlbeck Glader (b. 2007) is currently pursuing his bachelor's degree at the Hochschule für Musik Basel in Switzerland with Prof. Claudio Martínez Mehner. He began his piano studies at the age of four at Lilla Akademien in Stockholm.

In 2026, Edward was awarded 1st prize in the Swedish 'Polar Star Prize', where he performed Prokofiev's Second Piano Concerto with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra in the final round. This June, he is set to represent Sweden at Eurovision Young Musicians in Yerevan, Armenia, making him the first Swedish pianist to do so in a decade.

Highlights from 2025 include performances at the Verbier Festival, where Edward was selected for the Soloist Programme, the Helsingborg Piano Festival, the Gothenburg Piano Festival as well as Beethoven's Hammerklavier sonata at the Lev Natochenny Piano Festival in Bad Homburg, Germany. In 2024, Edward made his orchestral debut playing Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto with the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, and his German solo recital debut at Sasel-Haus Hamburg.

Edward has won First Prizes in the
Steinway & Sons Nordic Junior Piano Competition, MozArte International Junior Piano Competition in Aachen, as well as the Gothenburg International Piano Competition. He is also a prizewinner of international competitions such as the PIANALE International Piano Festival & Competition, Euregio Young Piano Award, and the Savshinsky International Music Competition.

He has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in venues such as Konserthuset Stockholm, Gothenburg Concert Hall, Helsingborg Concert Hall, Queen Silvia Concert Hall, the Royal Palace in Stockholm, the Royal Academy of the Arts, Confidencen, the House of Nobility, Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde, Sasel-Haus Hamburg, Teatro Goldoni Livorno, and the Steingraeber-Haus Bayreuth.

Edward is a participant of the Soloist Programme at the Young Musicians Academy of the National Center for Music Talents in Sweden, and he has drawn inspiration from the Jiri Hlinka Piano Academy in Norway. Edward has participated in masterclasses for esteemed pianists and pedagogues such as Leif Ove Andsnes, Yulianna Avdeeva, Zlata Chochieva, Kirill Gerstein, Kevin Kenner, Gábor Takács-Nagy, Ilya Gringolts, Akiko Ebi, Alexander Melnikov, Minsoo Sohn, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, and Rena Shereshevskaya.