Leif Ove Andsnes is a classical concert pianist living in Bergen, Norway. He is the most famous Norwegian concert pianist in the world by far, a position he has held since the early 2000s.
Andsnes got his first piano lessons from his parents, later at the local music school in Karmøy in western Norway. He then started at the Bergen Conservatory of Music (now the Grieg Academy). He made his debut in 1987 with concerts in Bergen, Stavanger and Oslo.
Andsnes has received numerous awards and distinctions both in Norway and abroad. These include The Grieg Prize, Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik, the Hindemith Prize (Germany), Dorothy B. Chandler Performing Arts Award (USA), Gramophone Concerto Award (England) and the Royal Philharmonic Society Award for best instrumentalist (England). He was appointed Commander of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav in 2002.