Stefan Veselka was born in 1968 in the Norwegian town of Stavanger, the son of Czech parents. From 1986 he studied piano at the Salzburg Mozarteum, moving in 1988 to the Hochschule der Künste in Berlin, where he successfully completed his studies. Following his début as a pianist in 1985, he made numerous successful appearances as a soloist and chamber musician throughout Europe, Japan and the United States. He has been a prizewinner in several national and international piano competitions, including the Luxemburg European Piano Competition, the Vienna Beethoven International Piano Competition and the Berlin A. Schnabel Competition. In 1988 he was awarded the SHELL Prize. He has collaborated with well-known orchestras and conductors in important festivals and in major concert venues. Stefan Veselka has also started to work as a conductor with appearances in opera-houses and concerts in Germany, The Netherlands and Norway. His recordings include releases of works by Prokofiev, Debussy, Lutoslawski, Webern and Valen, and for the Antonín Dvofiák anniversary 2004 he recorded the complete piano works for Naxos (8.505205), for which he was awarded the Classical Internet Award 2004.