» Music is a public commodity and should be accessible and understandable for everyone. «
Gesa Behrens is a Professor at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts, where she is dedicated to training future pianists and piano educators. Originally from Bremen, she is known for her musical authenticity and accessibility as a pianist. Her concerts are vibrant experiences that bring classical music to life for audiences of all ages, made memorable through her insightful introductions and engaging explanations. In addition to her solo performances, Gesa Behrens is deeply committed to chamber music, performing on stages nationally and internationally.
She completed her studies at the University of Music, Theatre and Media in Hanover, where she was a student of Prof. Ewa Kupiec, and at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, where she studied with Prof. Daniel Blumenthal and Prof. Jan Michiels. Her education, which emphasized both artistic and pedagogical training, culminated in top honors. Various masterclasses, including those with Konstanze Eickhorst, Nelson Delle-Vigne Fabbri, and Jerome Rose, enriched her artistic formation. Gesa’s pianistic achievements have earned her several prizes and scholarships, including the Deutschlandstipendium and the Chance Festival Prize from the “Münchner Klavierpodium”. She also recorded for NDR Kultur in 2018.
Alongside her concert career, Gesa Behrens developed a strong passion for teaching early on. Before her appointment as a professor at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts at the age of 30, she taught piano and piano methodology at the University of Music, Theatre and Media in Hanover and led a piano class at the Braunschweig Municipal Music School, where many of her students were award winners at the “Jugend musiziert” competition.
Her enthusiasm centers on creatively fostering individual talents through diverse and methodologically rich approaches. Additionally, Gesa Behrens is active in gifted student programs, music education, and music therapy. She regularly serves as a jury member at competitions such as “Jugend musiziert” and the “Einbecker Klavierfrühling” and is a member of the “Saarbrücker Gespräche,” the working group on piano methodology and didactics at German-speaking universities.