Sheila Arnold

Born in Tiruchirappalli in southern India on March 18, 1970, to Indian parents, pianist Sheila Arnold maintains ongoing family connections and musical engagements in that country while making Germany her lifelong base. Her mother, who attended Women's Christian College in Madras (now Chennai), recognized her daughter's early keyboard aptitude; after instruction from a German teacher in India, Arnold relocated at age eight for further training. Initial lessons took place in Berlin under harpsichordist and organist Ilse Schwartz, followed by an eight-year period of study with Heidi Köhler in Springe near Hannover. She delivered her debut public recital at age 12 and later pursued advanced work at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hannover under Karl-Heinz Kämmerling. During her teenage years she performed regularly on West Germany's various regional radio networks, and at 17 she appeared as soloist with the Berlin Philharmonic. Subsequent engagements brought her to such venues as the Philharmonie in Cologne, the Leipzig Gewandhaus, the Liederhalle in Stuttgart, the Palau de la Música in Valencia, and the NCPA Concert Hall in Mumbai. Performing on both fortepiano and modern grand, she has partnered with the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, the Beethoven Orchester Bonn, and the Prague Chamber Orchestra while remaining active in chamber-music settings. In 2006 she issued a Brahms recital on Avi-Music and has since recorded for that label (now CAvi-Music) as well as for Naxos; the 2018 CAvi-Music release Ecoutez! features works by Debussy, Cage, and Takemitsu. She has taught at her alma mater in Hannover and, since 2005, has served on the faculty of the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz in Cologne. Together with actress Uta Jacobi she created the Wolferl Children's Music Theater, a program that acquaints preschool and elementary-school audiences with the harpsichord, fortepiano, and organ.