Evgeny Kissin

Not content to be one of the nerdiest classical stars of his generation, Kissin also gives public recitals of Russian poetry. We love him for his idiosyncratic drawl, his Eraserhead-like hair and the fact that he travels everywhere with his mum in tow.

Morton Feldman (1926–87)

The American composer (whose chance meeting with John Cage in 1950 led the two iconoclasts to experiment with chance music) was rarely photographed without his coke-bottle glasses and a cigarette. He is renowned for writing extremely soft, slow and gestural music. Why? We think it’s because he was a bookworm who enjoyed peace and quiet: a key nerd trait.

Gaïta

This Scottish ensemble takes medieval music very, very seriously, always performing in traditional costume. They also have their own publishing house, releasing transcriptions of early music manuscripts. A bit of palaeography at the Renaissance fair?

Sergio Azzolini

Is there any instrument more inherently nerdy than the bassoon? No matter; this Italian can really play, and has released stunning albums of Vivaldi’s bassoon concertos on period bassoon for the French label Naive.

Glenn Gould (1932–82)

Perhaps the ultimate classical music nerd, the Canadian pianist  was infamous for his odd behaviour. he wore winter clothing all year round; he hummed while he played; he shunned the concert stage and was socially reclusive. He was considered an eccentric – a charmingly mad genius – and in recent years it has been suggested by many that Gould had Asperger’s syndrome.

Here he is in a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation announcement as the heavily accented, pretentious German composer, Karlheinz Klopweisser (a fictional character of Gould’s own devising, modelled after Stockhausen). We can’t decide whether or not it’s funny.

Gareth Malone

If Eric Whitacre is making choral music cool, this British “choral animateur, singer and presenter” is making it nerdy in BBC programs The Choir and Why Do We Sing, and on his new album with the Military Wives (including choral arrangements of U2’s With Or Without You and Bob Dylan’s Make You Feel My Love).

Pierre Henry (1927–)

The father of musique concrète or tape music is looking nerdier and surlier than ever at the age of  84. The pioneering French composer of Symphonie pour un homme seul was at the forefront of the European avant-garde during the 1960s and remains active, having become a cult figure in contemporary dance and electronica circles. Like any nerd worth his salt, Henry knows his way around computers and audio equipment.

Yvonne Loriod (1924–2010)

The second wife of Olivier Messiaen was a superb musician and one of his most talented pupils, whose gifts allowed the French composer to write “the greatest eccentricities” for piano. In this incredible documentary recording, Loriod plays snippets of birdsong after Messiaen imitates them with his voice.

Gustav Leonhardt (1928–2012)

The Dutch harpsichordist and conductor who passed away earlier this year  was at the heart of the early music revival, founding the Leonhardt Baroque Ensemble and worked with the English countertenor Alfred Deller during the 1950s. His list of his students reads like a Who’s Who of the keyboard world: Christopher Hogwood, Philippe Herreweghe, Richard Egarr, and more. He gets extra nerd cred for starring as JS Bach in the 1967 film The Diary of Anna Magdalena Bach.

Wolfgang Schneiderhan (1915–2002)

This Austrian violinist was a classical nerd from an early age, making his public debut at the age of 10 with the Bach Chaconne in D Minor. He went on to make a landmark recording of all Beethoven’s violin sonatas with pianist Wilhelm Kempff (and joined the Nazi party in 1940).

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975)

The great Russian composer’s nerd tendencies came to the fore with his penchant for fugue and his Harry Potter glasses.

Zuzana Ruzicková (1927–)

This Czech Jewish harpsichordist, who turned 85 this year, has had an incredible life. After her ordeal in a concentration camp, she went on to record more than 65 albums, among them the complete harpsichord works of Bach. We love her lady-nerd trifecta of pearl necklace, glasses and beehive.

Elisabeth Schumann (1888–1952)

This German lyric soprano was closely aligned with Richard Strauss, Otto Klemperer, Lotte Lehman, Bruno Walter and Wilhelm Furtwängler throughout her lifetime, and was the first female Honourary Member of the Vienna Philharmonic.

Linsey Pollak

This resourceful Australian musician combines music and science nerddom, making his own instruments from whatever’s lying around in the vegetable crisper and under the kitchen sink.

Benjamin Grovesnor

Carrying the torch for the next generation of classical music nerds: 20-year-old Benjamin Grosvenor, who two years ago became the youngest ever pianist to be signed to Decca. His immaculate Geek Chic vest and blazer brand him as a preppy British artist; the bow-tie a nod to Vladimir Horowitz. Something about the whiz kid’s slightly mischievous expression makes us wonder if his mother insisted on dressing him like this, and he secretly can’t wait to pull on his vintage Metallica t-shirt.

Take the Limelight Reader Survey and you could win an Australian Digital Concert Hall gift voucher