He calls himself “Chilly Gonzales,” at times only “Gonzales”, or chooses another nickname: his real name is Jason Beck. But the Canadian all-round talent plays even better with musical masks and identities than with pseudonyms. He can make appearances as a pianist, at other times he is a singer, a rapper, a producer, a songwriter, a film score composer, or an entertainer, often playing several of those roles at once in alternating combinations. He also likes to give group composition lessons on an open stage.

Many people have heard Chilly’s music without knowing that he is the author: in 2010, for instance, the Apple corporation chose Chilly’s song “Never Stop” as music for the ads that announced the first generation of iPads. For the Ruhr Piano Festival, he has written the signature tune for the AnTasten podcast.

Gonzales occasionally performs in a dressing gown; he most spectacular appearance took place in Paris in 2009, when he broke the Guinness World Record by playing solo piano recital for 27 hours non-stop. Chilly Gonzales is simply a category all by himself! On the occasion of his fifth appearance at the Ruhr Piano Festival, he will certainly reveal new aspects of his artistic personality, while remaining the entertaining, witty all-round genius who is capable of sending his audience into raptures.