Born in New York City, raised in Mumbai, educated in Manchester and London and now based in Los Angeles, Soli Cyrus Nallaseth has developed an international musical life shaped by five distinct cultural centres. Music has remained the thread connecting them: from his formative years within Mumbai’s Western classical music community to his studies and performances across Europe and the United States.
A concert pianist with a particular affinity for concerto performance, Soli has developed a longstanding relationship with the Symphony Orchestra of India. He has appeared with the orchestra on numerous occasions in Mumbai, performing four different piano concertos under conductors including Marat Bisengaliev, Piotr Borkowski and Zane Dalal. In August 2026, he returned to the Jamshed Bhabha Theatre as soloist with the SOI Chamber Orchestra for its inaugural Alumni Concert, performing to a sold-out audience under Bisengaliev’s direction.
In 2025, Soli won the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music Concerto Competition, subsequently appearing with the USC Thornton Symphony Orchestra under Carl St. Clair at Bovard Auditorium. Further competitive distinctions include reaching the semi-finals of the Manchester International Concerto Competition and twice winning the MusiQuest All-India Piano Competition. Recent performance highlights include a recital at Mumbai’s Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre in December 2023, where he became the first Western classical musician to perform at the newly opened institution; appearances at the Aspen Music Festival and School in 2024 and the Chautauqua Institution Piano Program in 2025; and a performance alongside faculty at the Euro Arts Festival in Szczecin in 2026.
Soli has performed throughout India, the United Kingdom, the United States, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany and Poland, with appearances at venues including Wigmore Hall, the Jamshed Bhabha Theatre, Tata Theatre and Experimental Theatre at Mumbai’s National Centre for the Performing Arts, The Cube at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, Stoller Hall, Harris Concert Hall and the Chautauqua Amphitheater. His work encompasses solo performance, concertos and chamber music, and he has collaborated with instrumentalists and singers across a wide range of repertoire.
Soli’s work also extends to film music. He composed and performed original music for Sooni Taraporevala’s Netflix film Yeh Ballet, released in 2020, and has continued to develop his work as a screen composer alongside his performing career.
After studying with Dr Murray McLachlan at Chetham’s School of Music, Soli completed his Bachelor of Music and Master of Arts degrees at the Royal Academy of Music, graduating with first-class results in both and receiving a scholarship for his postgraduate studies. His principal teachers at the Academy were Professor Sulamita Aronovsky and, subsequently, Professor Colin Stone.
In 2026, following a relationship with the course spanning fifteen years, Soli joined the faculty of the Chetham’s International Piano Summer School, where he teaches individual lessons and workshops and works with concerto soloists as a second pianist. He is also a Keyboard Studies Teaching Assistant at the University of Southern California (USC) Thornton School of Music, teaching piano majors and non-majors in both individual and group settings. Soli is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance at USC under Professor Kevin Fitz-Gerald, with additional fields in Music Teaching and Learning, Film Scoring and Keyboard Collaborative Arts.