John Richard Lill, born on March 17, 1944, in London, is an English classical pianist. He studied at the Royal College of Music and under Wilhelm Kempff, debuting publicly at age nine. At 18, Lill performed Rachmaninoff's "Piano Concerto No.3" with Sir Adrian Boult. In 1963, he debuted at London’s Royal Festival Hall with Beethoven's "Piano Concerto No. 5". He won the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1970. Throughout his career, Lill has recorded extensively, including complete piano concertos by Beethoven, Brahms, and Rachmaninoff, as well as all of Beethoven's and Prokofiev’s sonatas. His performances spanned over 50 countries, collaborating with major orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2000, he suffered hand injuries during a robbery attempt but recovered to continue his career. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2005.
