Taught to play the piano by Professor Gustaf Grosch in Munich, and later by Professors Alexander Sellier, Walter Blankenheim and Nerine Barrett at the Saarbrücken Musikhochschule, Paul Rivinius continued his piano studies in Frankfurt with Professor Raimund Havenith. Having completed his education, the artist became long-term member of the Bundesjugendorchester and Gustav-Mahler-Orchester (conducted, among others, by Claudio Abbado). In 1994, he began master class with Professor Gerhard Oppitz in Munich, which he graduated from in 1998 with distinction.
At that time Paul Rivinius, and the Clemente Trio he set up in 1986, were highly successful: the Award granted by the Federal Association of German Industry and the Prize of the International Music Chamber Competition in Caltanissetta were soon followed by the ensemble’s triumph in the prestigious ARD Competition in Munich (1998) and guest appearance – as ‘a rising star’ – in the world’s ten most important concert halls (including Carnegie Hall in New York and Wigmore Hall in London). Besides these, the trio went for long tours of Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, Australia and the United States.
Paul Rivinius has made music from his early childhood, when he played with his brothers: Siegfried, Gustav, and Benjamin. Since 2004 he has been a member of the Akanthus Ensemble Berlin composed of musicians of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester, and the pianist of the Mozart Piano Quartet (guest appearance at the National Gallery in Washington in 2006).
Paul Rivinius is an academic teacher at Universität der Künste Berlin and Professor at Hanns Eisler Hochschule für Musik in Berlin. He is one of the most demanded pianists performing chamber music.