Saleem’s 2018/19 season started with a triumphant return to the Bournemouth Symphony under James Feddeck and a ‘powerful account’ of Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor.

“[Ashkar brought a] Mozartean clarity with a diamond-bright tone at the forefront of his armoury.”
David Truslove, Classical Source, 1 Nov 18

Up next are performances of Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 with Halle Orchestra in Germany with Massimo Zanetti at the Staatskapelle Halle and a return to the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra to perform Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with Eliahu Inbal. Saleem will make his debut with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in performances of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with David Afkham, before returning to the Konzerthausorchester in Berlin for two performances of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 with Jan Willem de Vriend.

Saleem will complete his final Beethoven Sonata cycle in Duisberg this season having successfully performed cycles in Berlin (Konzerthaus), Prague and Israel. Further recital highlights include a programme of Bach, Debussy and Messiaen Preludes at the Elbphilharmonie (Hamburg), and Brahms and Schoenberg at Beethovenhaus (Bonn).

Having recently released the latest disc in his Beethoven series — Beethoven Piano Sonatas 3, 5, 14 Moonlight & 30 — Saleem will spend November and December preparing for and recording the next instalment in the series.