Armin van Buuren has won an Edison Publieksprijs Klassiek, a Dutch audience prize in the classical category, for his album Piano. The trance star received the award on October 29th on the Dutch television programme Eva, where presenter Eva Jinek surprised him with it.
At a glance
- Who: Armin van Buuren
- What: Edison Publieksprijs Klassiek for the album Piano
- When: October 29th
- Where: The Dutch TV programme Eva
- Fellow nominees: Joep Beving, Ludovico Einaudi, Lang Lang and Anastasia Kobekina
What we know
Van Buuren was chosen from a notable group of nominees. Besides the names above, the field included some of the best-known figures in modern piano and classical music. The win is his third Edison overall, following earlier victories in the Dance category in 2006 and 2020.
The prize recognises Piano, a project that shows a different side of his musical identity. It began in 2018, when he started taking piano lessons from composer and pianist Geronimo Snijtsheuvel. Those lessons grew into a full album of 15 piano compositions.
Fourteen of the pieces are original, and the fifteenth is an interpolation of Robert Miles' track Children. Van Buuren recorded the compositions in early 2025, in a single take with string accompaniment.
Piano came out on October 31, 2025, after a run of cryptic teasers and an announcement involving Apple Music and Dolby Atmos. According to the report, the album has since passed 18 million streams. Van Buuren has also brought some of the pieces to life in piano performances on stage.
Why it matters
This is an unexpected addition to a career mostly tied to electronic and trance music. Winning an audience prize in the classical category shows that his piano project has reached listeners beyond the dance floor.
For one of trance's defining figures, it is another milestone in an already long career. Fans who know him from the club and festival stage now have a quieter side of his work to explore as well. You can read more about his recent releases in this RaveConnects story on his Rising Star remix of Take Me Home, or look back at his ASOT 25 Years anniversary mix.
