Masterclass: Shai Maestro

The JazzPop programme is launching a collaboration with the piano star. This will kick off with a visit lasting several days in September: Shai Maestro will be an artist in residence at the ZHdK for three days. In addition to individual and ensemble lessons within the JazzPop programme, there will be a Q&A with Shai Maestro as part of a public masterclass on Wednesday 23 September.


Shai Maestro (born 1987) is one of the leading contemporary jazz pianists. His trademark is a uniquely lyrical sound, combined with innovative rhythmic imagination, sophisticated odd metres and a deeply narrative approach to improvisation. After ten formative years in New York City, he now lives in Spain and has established a versatile international career as a pianist, composer, bandleader and genre-spanning sideman.

Maestro gained worldwide recognition at the age of 19 when he joined the trio of Avishai Cohen. He toured extensively with them and contributed to several groundbreaking recordings. During his time in New York, he forged close artistic relationships, played in Ari Hoenig’s band for five years and collaborated with leading musicians such as Mark Turner, Larry Grenadier, Jeff Ballard, Nasheet Waits, Joel Ross, Ben Wendel and Michael Mayo. He can be heard on Mayo’s album Fly, which was nominated for two Grammy Awards.

Since 2018, Maestro has been recording for ECM Records and has maintained a close collaboration with producer Manfred Eicher. These collaborations have garnered international acclaim for their clarity, atmosphere and emotional depth. Following this ECM phase, Maestro moved to the French label Naïve, where he released his first solo piano album, Miniatures and Tales. The album is intimate and concentrated – a collection of short pieces that combine composed miniatures with improvised reflections and showcase Maestro’s personal, narrative approach to the piano. It marks a new chapter in his artistic expression.

With The Guesthouse, Maestro expands his sonic world: A large-scale project that brings together acoustic piano, electronics, production, field recordings and collaborations with MARO, Immanuel Wilkins and Michael Mayo . Inspired by the idea of allowing contrasting internal and external states to coexist, The Guesthouse is Maestro’s most extensive and interdisciplinary work to date. The album was released on 6 March 2026.

As a versatile and inquisitive composer, the Maestro has written music for films, performed classical piano concertos with orchestras, and in 2024 completed a fifty-minute orchestral work that was commissioned and premiered in Portugal. His collaborative spectrum ranges from flamenco musicians such as Rafael de Utrera (from Paco de Lucía’s group) to renowned Cuban artists, including the conga legend Machito, who is known for his deep roots in the Afro-Cuban tradition and, in particular, the rumba.

In addition to his work as a performer and composer, Maestro is also active as a teacher: he has taught at institutions including The New School in New York and gives masterclasses internationally.