Karim Said

Karim Said is an internationally acclaimed pianist and conductor celebrated for the intellectual depth, poetic sensitivity, and communicative power of his musicianship. Described by The Independent as “a born communicator,” he has earned recognition for performances of “rich subtlety” (Financial Times) and an “unfailingly intelligent” approach to music-making (BBC Music Magazine).

Born in Amman, Jordan, and educated in the UK, Said first came to international attention in 2009 with landmark performances at London’s Barbican Centre under Sir Colin Davis – who described him as “a serious musician” – and at the BBC Proms alongside the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra and Daniel Barenboim. Since then, he has appeared at many of the world’s leading concert halls, including La Scala, the Berlin Philharmonie, Tokyo’s Musashino Concert Hall, the Great Hall of the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, the Mozarteum Salzburg, London’s Southbank Centre and Carnegie Hall in New York.

A highly versatile collaborator, Said has performed with artists including Zubin Mehta, Waltraud Meier, Dorothea Röschmann, Vanessa Redgrave, and Patrice Chéreau. His wide-ranging artistic interests are reflected in a repertoire that spans the English Renaissance, the First and Second Viennese Schools, and the music of contemporary Arab composers such as Naji Hakim and Hiba Al Kawas.

His recordings have been widely praised for their insight and originality. Legacy (2018), an exploration of musical lineage through works by Byrd, Brahms, Schoenberg, and Webern, was described by The Guardian as “exceptionally thoughtful.” His recent recording of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 (released in 2025) with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Domingo Hindoyan received critical acclaim, with Gramophone praising the “truthfulness and directness” of his playing and describing Said as a “pure and sincere talent that comes with no ego attached”.

Alongside his international career, Said has become an influential musical figure in the Middle East. During the pandemic, he returned to the region to become Founding Principal Conductor of the Amman Chamber Orchestra and more recently the Principal Conductor of the National Youth Orchestra of Lebanon. In 2026, he will perform and record a complete cycle of Beethoven concertos from the keyboard in Beirut with the National Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra, where he serves as Artist in Residence, and will make his debut with John Axelrod and the Bucharest Symphony Orchestra in Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto.

Said began studying piano at the age of five. His exceptional talent was recognised early by Daniel Barenboim, who became an important mentor after hearing him perform at the age of ten, remarking: “What you cannot learn, he already knows.” Drawn equally to the sound world of the orchestra, Said later studied conducting and participated in masterclasses with Bernard Haitink at London’s Royal College of Music while still a student at the Purcell School.

His artistic development was documented in the Allegro Films/BBC Four film Karim’s Journey, which followed his evolution between the ages of eleven and eighteen. Since 2017, he has been an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, his alma mater.

Karim Said is represented worldwide by Hennessey Brown Music in the United Kingdom.