Elizabeth Sombart place of birth Strasbourg
Elizabeth Sombart is a French classical pianist, born in Strasbourg. In her youth she studied at the Strasbourg Conservatory where her first public performance was at the age of 11. She won first prize in National Piano Awards and Chamber Music Awards and left France at age 16 to study with several classical piano masters on various continents. 
In 1998, she created the Fondation Résonnance, a philanthropic organization which provides free music education and concerts with the goal of bring classical music to places it would not typically reach, including orphanages, hospitals, prisons and refugee camps.  In 2006, Sombart was awarded one of the highest civilian honors France can bestow, the National Order of Merit (Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Mérite) for Lifetime Achievement for her humanitarian work, and in 2008 was made a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for her artistic achievements. She has been a featured soloist in concerts with orchestras at well-known performance halls in Europe and the U.S.In addition to her concert performances, master classes, and recordings she has authored three books.Career
Sombart was born in Strasbourg.  Her father was German sociologist and historian Nicolaus Sombart. Her mother played the piano, but "not proficiently", Sombart said in a London interview.  Sombart began piano at age seven and soon transitioned into formal study at the Strasbourg Conservatory. She said the piano felt like home to her, and that she never considered taking up any other instrument. After she won first prize in National Piano Awards and Chamber Music Awards, she left France at age 16 to study with several classical piano masters in Europe. These included Bruno Leonardo Gelber in Buenos Aires; Peter Feuchtwanger in London, then Hilde Langer-Rühl in Vienna. Sombart finished her studies with conductor Sergiu Celibidache at the Hochschule für Musik Mainz. She has performed as a featured soloist with many orchestras and performed in many prominent concert halls in Europe and the U.S., including Carnegie Hall (New York), the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées (Paris), Suntory Hall (Tokyo), and Wigmore Hall (London).Sombart recorded the complete Beethoven piano concertos with London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Pierre Vallet. This work, along with their recording of Chopin's piano concertos was nominated by Classical Music Magazine as one of ten best recordings released for Beethoven's 250th anniversary. From 2011, she taught at Conservatoire Rachmaninoff in Paris. Sombart produced other recordings with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra including J.S. Bach L’Art de la Fugue performed with Swiss organist Jean-Christophe Geiser in a piano and organ duo. She recorded all Chopin’s Nocturnes.
Her Confidences pour piano de Bach à Bártok, a series of 50 works produced by Peter Knapp was broadcast on France 3 TV.Sombart recorded for various small labels in the 1990s, performing the music of the Classical and Romantic periods.  Sombart taught at the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne (EPFL) . She has written three books: Music at the Heart of Wonder, Words of Harmony, and They Call Me Plume.
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