MB
Pianist · Composer

MichielBorstlap

Award-winning jazz, neoclassical & cinematic music.

More than thirty albums, performances in ninety-two countries, and a composer's voice described as distinctly architectural.

Portrait of Michiel Borstlap
Michiel Borstlap
30+Albums
92Countries
EdisonAward
Gouden KalfAward
Thelonious MonkComposition Award
Live

Upcoming concerts.

Autumn 2026 · back on stage.

The Band

Michiel Borstlap Band ‘Timelap’

Michiel Borstlap piano Stefan Lievestro bass Hans Eijkenaar drums
Biography

One of Europe's leading jazz pianists and a composer with a distinctly architectural voice - moving fluidly between jazz, neoclassical, cinematic and improvised music.

Michiel Borstlap graduated cum laude from the Conservatory before winning First Prize at the Europe Jazz Piano Competition and, later, the Thelonious Monk Award for Composition at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. In the Netherlands he received both an Edison Award and a Gouden Kalf for his film score Tiramisu.

His international career led to collaborations with some of the most influential figures in contemporary music, among them Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Peter Erskine, Bill Bruford, Les Paul and Kurt Elling - encounters that shaped his reputation not only as a virtuoso pianist, but as a composer with a singular lyrical signature.

He has performed in ninety-two countries, appeared repeatedly at the North Sea Jazz Festival and the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, and collaborated with the Metropole Orkest and the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. His discography spans more than thirty albums - from intimate solo recordings to trio, sextet and large-ensemble projects - with compositions such as Water, Levantine and Memory of Enchantment exemplifying his voice. He is a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.

From solo piano to symphonic stages - a single continuous line: music as structure, atmosphere and human signature.

Featured records

Two to start with.

World Tour album cover
Solo piano · 2024

World Tour

A solo journey across cities and skies: one piano, one continuous line, from Los Angeles to Sydney.

Play on Spotify
88 album cover, Michiel Borstlap Trio
Trio · 2012

88

The trio in full flight, with Boudewijn Lucas and Erik Kooger: eighty-eight keys, three voices, one pulse.

Play on Spotify
Most played on Spotify

Water

His signature piece and most-streamed track: solo piano at its most essential.

Play on Spotify
Live

On stage, on film.

Selected collaborations

Voices that shaped the work.

Herbie Hancock·Wayne Shorter·Peter Erskine·Jeff "Tain" Watts·Bill Bruford·Les Paul·Kurt Elling·Gino Vannelli·Lavinia Meijer·Ludovico Einaudi·Joris Voorn

His music has entered the Dutch Top 40 and extended into interdisciplinary work and international campaigns with houses such as IWC Schaffhausen, Cadillac, United Airlines and Tommy Hilfiger, always maintaining artistic integrity while carrying his music into new contexts.

Beyond the stage

Where music meets technology.

Founder

Gallery Play®

A music streaming network for retail and hospitality that reframes background music as a designed, emotionally intelligent experience, combining human musical expertise with proprietary technology for low & high-end clients worldwide.

galleryplay.com
Founder

Intono AI

A deep-tech company building the trust infrastructure around a new technology: Realtime Continuity™. First entry point: Continuity Infrastructure for Human and Agent Interaction.

intono.ai
Bookings

Concert Bookings

From solo recitals to orchestral programmes and intimate private performances - enquiries are welcome.