Piano Festival 2024 by Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra

Alfred Brendel KBE Patron Sir András Schiff President Marios Papadopoulos MBE Artistic Director

Oxford Piano Festival Saturday 27 July – Sunday 4 August 2024

oxfordpianofestival.com

Welcome from Marios Papadopoulos Artistic Director

In concert halls, public spaces and even on reality TV, the piano appears to be enjoying a resurgence in popularity. No other instrument has become such a powerful symbol of music-making, domestic and professional. No other instrument has woven its way consistently through various threads of history and culture, from Oxford to Osaka. This year’s Oxford Piano Festival promises a more diverse and revealing look at the piano than any previous edition of the event. In repertoire ranging from Scarlatti to Gershwin, and Schumann to Rogers and Hammerstein, our recitalists and soloists will prove just why the piano remains at the heart of our musical lives. For 2024’s festival, we welcome a new generation of pianists who are making their names across the world: Icelandic musician Víkingur Ólafsson, American-Armenian pianist Sergei Babayan, and Australian virtuoso Jayson Gillham are all carving out unique places for themselves among the pantheon of poet-pianists. We welcome back great names including Barry Douglas, while it seems fitting that our final concert forms something of a double farewell, as we hear stalwart British pianist Kathryn Stott in concert for the final time. Join all of us this summer for fresh but inspiring look at this wonderful instrument — and to hear some true gems it has birthed.

Masterclass Schedule 2024 JdP Music Building, St Hilda’s College

Saturday 27 July 12:00 — 13:00 14:30 — 17:50

Registration Krzysztof Jablonski Masterclass

9:30 — 12:50 14:30 — 17:50

Colin Stone Masterclass William Fong Masterclass

9:30 — 12:50 14:30 — 17:50

Marios Papadopoulos Masterclass Ian Fountain Masterclass

9:30 — 12:50 14:30 — 17:50

Barry Douglas Masterclass Marios Papadopoulos Masterclass: Directing from the Keyboard

9:30 — 12:50 14:30 — 17:50

Rustem Hayroudinoff Masterclass Ian Jones Masterclass

9:30 — 12:50 14:30 — 17:50

Marilyn Engle Masterclass Marilyn Engle Masterclass

9:30 — 12:50 14:30 — 17:50

Noriko Ogawa Masterclass Stephen Kovacevich Masterclass

9:30 — 12:50 14:30 — 17:50

Stephen Kovacevich Masterclass Marios Papadopoulos Masterclass

9:30 — 12:50

Kathryn Stott Masterclass

Sunday 28 July

Monday 29 July

Tuesday 30 July

Wednesday 31 July

Thursday 1 August

Friday 2 August

Saturday 3 August

Sunday 4 August

The repertoire list for the masterclasses will be available to view from 20 July 2024 on our website. Breaks with complimentary tea and coffee: 11:30—11:50 and 16:30—16:50. Select events will be livestreamed on the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra YouTube channel.

Jayson Gillham Saturday 27 July 2024 Holywell Music Room, 19:30

Chopin Rondo in E flat major, Op. 16 Chopin 12 Etudes, Op. 10 Chopin 12 Etudes, Op. 25 Chopin Polonaise in A flat major, Op. 53 Jayson Gillham piano Tickets £30

As ‘the ideal Romantic pianist’ (Limelight), Jayson Gillham is perfectly placed to launch 2024’s Festival with a programme of works by the Romantic pianistcomposer par-excellence, Frédéric Chopin. Chopin’s elegance and poetry will be on full display in a menu that pivots on two sets of the composer’s Études. Were these works — lyrical and attention grabbing, impassioned and miraculous — designed to test finger technique or enchant listeners? They do both, as do the big beasts that bookend Gillham’s recital: the pure virtuosity of the composer’s breathless E flat Rondo and the grand heroism and pianistic panache of his A flat Polonaise.

Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini Sunday 28 July 2024 Sheldonian Theatre, 19:30

Rossini Overture to William Tell Rachmaninov Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43 Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36 Dmitry Ishkhanov piano Marios Papadopoulos conductor Tickets £48 £38 £28 £15 Supported by an anonymous donor

Hailed as a successor to Kissin and Sokolov, Dmitry Ishkhanov comes to the Oxford Piano Festival bringing with him the Russian repertoire with which he is rapidly making his name around the world. Taking on the firepower and character of the symphony orchestra in Rachmaninov’s fiendish Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, he is sure to set out his stall in style. Marios Papadopoulos and the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra complete the programme with sparkling Rossini and Tchaikovsky’s most heart-on-sleeve symphony.

Barry Douglas and the Carducci Quartet Monday 29 July 2024 University Church of St Mary the Virgin, 19:30

Shostakovich Piano Quintet in G minor, Op. 57 When the power of a solo piano meets the force of a string quartet, the results are truly irresistible. Brahms Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34 In the atmospheric surroundings of the University Church of St Mary, Barry Douglas and the Carducci Quartet present two of the greatest piano quintets in the repertoire. After Shostakovich in unusually carefree and charming mode comes Brahms’s great chamber music epic. A sense of adventure is hard-wired into the German composer’s F minor Piano Quintet, a work of many faces and tremendous scope, filled with the composer’s characteristic rhythmic verve and thematic sweep.

Carducci Quartet Barry Douglas piano

Tickets £30 £22 £18 £12 (unsighted)

Sergei Babayan Tuesday 30 July 2024 Holywell Music Room, 19:30 Piano transcriptions of songs by Schubert, Schumann, Liszt, Grieg, Rachmaninov, Hahn, Arlen, Poulenc, Fauré, Trenet, Gershwin

Expect ‘playing that verges on the peerless’ (Music Web International) from Armenian-American pianist Sergei Babayan, whose recital at the Holywell Music Room presents a delectable menu of songs without words. Traversing his own transcriptions and those of Rachmaninov, Keith Jarrett and more, Babayan will lead us through the worlds of lieder (Schubert, Hindemith), chanson (Hahn, Bizet) and romance (Rachmaninov, Kreisler) to the Great American Songbook (Gershwin) — all with the apparently effortless lyrical style with which Babayan has made himself indispensable.

Sergei Babayan piano

Tickets £30

Participants’ Recital Wednesday 31 July 2024 JdP Music Building, 19:30 The Festival’s participants take to the stage with fresh guidance from the world’s most esteemed pianists echoing in their ears. Be sure not to miss this showcase of outstanding talent from rising stars of the piano world. Tickets £12

Víkingur Ólafsson Thursday 1 August 2024 Sheldonian Theatre, 19:30

Schumann Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54 In a standout highlight of this year’s Festival, the Icelandic pianist and born communicator Schumann Symphony No. 2 in C major, Op. 61 beloved Víkingur Ólafsson joins Marios Papadopoulos and the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra for the piano concerto by Robert Schumann – a supple and musical love letter to his pianist wife, Clara. After Schumann’s concerto comes the composer’s most uplifting symphony — the defiant, joyous and spirited Symphony No. 2 that shares its key, its power and its rigour with the ‘Great’ symphony by Schubert that helped inspire it.

Víkingur Ólafsson piano Marios Papadopoulos conductor

Tickets £54 £40 £30 £18 (students from £5)

Kevin Chen Friday 2 August 2024 University Church of St Mary the Virgin, 19:30

Scarlatti Sonata in D minor, K. 1 Scarlatti Sonata in B flat major, K. 266 Scarlatti Sonata in G major, K. 124 Scarlatti Sonata in B minor, K. 87 Chopin Polonaise-Fantaisie, Op. 61 Chopin Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23 Moscheles Étude caractéristique, Op. 95 No. 7, ‘Zärtlichkeit’ Schumann Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 14 Kevin Chen piano Generations of musicians have responded unusually yet fiercely to Domenico Scarlatti’s strangely enigmatic yet crystal-clear piano sonatas — micro-dramas in which musical motifs form the characters, from the villainous and heroic to the lonely and lost. Poulenc described them as ‘my favourite Brut Champagne’. A young colleague of the composer’s talked of Scarlatti’s ‘ingenious jesting with art’. Kevin Chen launches his recital at the University Church with a selection of these intriguing works in the fine company of repertoire staples by Chopin and Schumann, and the most affectionate of Ignaz Moscheles’s vivid set of Étude caractéristique. Tickets £30 £22 £18 £12 (unsighted)

Kathryn Stott Saturday 3 August 2024 Christ Church Cathedral, 19:30 Music by Bach, Boulanger, Fauré, Ravel, Grieg, Piazzolla, Shostakovich, Chopin, Grainger and Rogers & Hammerstein

Kathryn Stott piano A true great of the British piano scene makes one last appearance at the Oxford Piano Festival before her well-deserved retirement from the concert stage. Kathryn Stott’s personal programme of Musical Postcards immortalises some of this stalwart pianist’s most treasured relationships — including those with Nadia Boulanger, Carl Vine and Graham Fitkin. In bidding farewell, Kathryn will herself introduce a programme ranging from Bach to Caroline Shaw from the stage. A not-to-be-missed opportunity to hear a uniquely communicative and uncommonly broadminded pianist in recital one last time. Tickets £30 £12 (unsighted)

Sergei Babayan

Kevin Chen

Sergei Babayan has collaborated with such conductors as Sir Antonio Pappano, David Robertson, Neeme Järvi, Rafael Payare, Thomas Dausgaard, Tugan Sokhiev, and Dima Slobodeniouk. In recent seasons, Mr Babayan’s schedule included concert performances with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Toronto Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, and the Verbier Festival Orchestra. Sergei Babayan regularly performs at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall in London, the Vienna Konzerthaus, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, the Maison de la Radio in Paris, Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Théâtre des Champs-Elyseés, at Salzburg Festival and the Zurich Tonhalle. Sergei Babayan’s latest release ‘Rachmaninoff’ (Deutsche Grammophon 2020) received numerous awards including BBC Recording of the Month and CHOC Classica. His previous release ’Prokofiev for Two’, with Martha Argerich as his partner, was released in 2018. Born in Armenia, Sergei Babayan studied under Georgy Saradjev, Mikhail Pletnev, Vera Gornostayeva and Lev Naumov. Following his first trip outside of the USSR in 1989, he won consecutive first prizes in several major competitions including the Cleveland International Piano Competition, the Hamamatsu Piano Competition, and the Scottish International Piano Competition.

Kevin Chen, a pianist who commenced his musical studies at age five, gained early recognition by securing first place in the Canadian Music Competition at the age of eight. By age ten, he was acknowledged as one of the ‘Top 30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians under 30’ by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and featured among ‘100 Remarkable Canadians’ in Maclean’s magazine. Now 18, Kevin has earned first prizes in prestigious international competitions, including the Arthur Rubinstein Piano Master Competition, Concours de Genève, Franz Liszt International Piano Competition, Hilton Head International Piano Competition, and the International Piano-e-Competition. He has performed in notable venues including Carnegie Hall, St John’s Smith Square, and Taipei’s National Concert Hall. Collaborating with orchestras such as the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Kevin’s musical journey continues to unfold. Kevin is currently studying at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover under Professor Arie Vardi, having previously studied privately in Calgary with Professor Marilyn Engle and Colleen Athparia.

Barry Douglas

Marilyn Engle

William Fong

Barry Douglas has established a major international career since winning the Gold Medal at the 1986 Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition, Moscow. As Artistic Director of Camerata Ireland, the only all-Ireland orchestra, and the Clandeboye Festival, he continues to celebrate his Irish heritage whilst also maintaining a busy international touring schedule. Highlights from last season include a major UK tour with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, and appearances with the Warsaw Philharmonic and Orchestre National de Lille. In recent seasons he has performed with a list of orchestras that includes the London Symphony, St Petersburg Philharmonic, Moscow State Symphony, Russian National, Vancouver and Colorado Symphonies, and the Hallé Orchestra. Barry is an exclusive Chandos recording artist, and recently completed a sixalbum recording of the full works for solo piano of Brahms. His current recording projects focus on the solo piano works of Schubert and Tchaikovsky. Also with Chandos, Barry is exploring Irish folk music through his own arrangements, working with ancient melodies through to pieces by contemporary song writers.

Pianist Marilyn Engle began her studies in Canada, then went on to earn undergraduate and graduate degrees from the Juilliard School with renowned teachers Ilona Kabos and Adele Marcus. She followed her piano studies with graduate studies in musicology from New York University while also studying with Jeaneane Dowis. Performing widely on radio and television, she has given numerous solo, chamber and orchestral performances in North America, Europe, Israel, and Asia, and has also been heard frequently in concert and on radio with the chamber ensemble, Aubade, of which she was a founding member. She has taught, lectured, given classes and residencies at major Canadian and US institutions such as Juilliard, Oberlin, and NYU, the Glenn Gould School, University of Toronto, University of Ottawa, and McGill. In Asia, she has done the same in major schools in Japan and China, most recently in Hong Kong (Baptist, Lingnan), Xiamen Central Conservatory at Gulangyu, as well as the Central Conservatory in Beijing. Many of her students have won major prizes in international competitions and now teach and perform successfully around the world.

William Fong’s international career was launched in 1984 when he won the first prize, gold medal and Rosa Sabater prize at the Concurso Internacional de Piano in Jaén, Spain. His concerto debut at St John’s Smith Square with the Philharmonia Orchestra followed soon after, and he subsequently added successes in the Busoni, Cleveland, Iturbi, and Scottish International Competitions. Performances in New York, Moscow and St Petersburg (under the auspices of the Sviatoslav Richter Foundation), and in Europe have drawn critical acclaim and enthusiastic audiences. Supported by Arts Council England, William has performed and given masterclasses in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou. He has performed in Australia at the invitation of the Chair of the Australian Piano Pedagogy Conference and at the Institute of Registered Music Teachers of New Zealand conference in Auckland. He is a Professor at the Royal Academy of Music and Head of Keyboard at the Purcell School for Young Musicians, visiting professor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Artistic Director of ‘Piano Star’ – an educational project and festival for young pianists in Romania.

Ian Fountain

Jayson Gillham

In 1989, Ian Fountain became the youngest winner of the Arthur Rubinstein Piano Master Competition in Tel Aviv at the age of 19. He was educated as a chorister at New College, Oxford and later at Winchester College, and studied piano under Sulamita Aronovsky at the Royal Northern College of Music. Since that time, he has enjoyed a wide-ranging and varied career, performing extensively throughout Europe, the USA, the UK and Asia, with orchestras such as the London Symphony and Sir Colin Davis, the Israel Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta, and the Czech Philharmonic and Jiri Belohlavek. He has made several critically acclaimed recordings, including for EMI ‘20th Century Piano Sonatas’, CRD ‘Beethoven Diabelli Variations’, and for Sony and Haenssler Classics the complete works for cello and piano of Beethoven, Chopin and Mendelssohn, and Rachmaninov with the cellist David Geringas. Since 2001, Ian Fountain has been a piano professor at the Royal Academy of Music, London. He holds an annual summer masterclass at the Accademia di Cervo, Italy, and further masterclasses around the world. He has served on the juries of international piano competitions, including at the Arthur Rubinstein Competition in 2011.

Internationally praised for his compelling performances, Jayson Gillham is recognised as one of the finest pianists of his generation. After receiving numerous prizes from the leading piano competitions including the Leeds, Van Cliburn and Chopin competitions, it was Jayson’s win at the 2014 Montreal International Music Competition that brought him to international attention. His subsequent debut recital album with ABC Classic was released in 2016, and immediately reached the No. 1 spot in both the Core Classical and Classical Crossover ARIA charts. It was soon followed by highly acclaimed live recording of Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4 with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Vladimir Ashkenazy. A passionate chamber musician, Jayson Gillham collaborated with the Jerusalem, Carducci, Brentano, Ruysdael and Flinders String Quartets as well as Manchester Collective. Recent and future highlights include concert engagements with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony, the Melbourne, Adelaide and Queensland Symphony Orchestras, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Cape Town and Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestras as well as solo recitals at Wigmore Hall, Louvre Auditorium, St Martin-in-the-Fields and Oxford Piano Festival.

Rustem Hayroudinoff

Dmitry Ishkhanov

Described by Classic FM Magazine as a ‘sensationally gifted’ musician of ‘stunning artistry’, and by Gramophone as ‘a player in the great Russian virtuoso tradition’, Rustem Hayroudinoff has performed to critical acclaim in Japan, the USA, Latin America, Canada, Russia and Europe. He has appeared with such orchestras as BBC Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, NHK Symphony and Czech Philharmonic, and has collaborated with conductors Vladimir Ashkenazy, Marin Alsop and Gianandrea Noseda amongst others. Hayroudinoff has recorded for Chandos, EMI and Onyx Classics. His CD of the complete Rachmaninov Preludes was selected by Classic FM Magazine as part of its ‘Essential Rachmaninov Collection’ together with the recordings of Arthur Rubinstein and André Previn. Rustem Hayroudinoff is based in the UK, where he has appeared at major concert halls including the Barbican, Cadogan Hall, Wigmore Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, St John’s Smith Square and abroad at such venues as Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, Rudolfinum in Prague, and the NHK Hall in Tokyo. A charismatic communicator, he enjoys engaging his audience in a light, yet informative rhetoric about the works he performs. This direct approach and informal style is also ideal for attracting younger audiences. Hayroudinoff is proud to be the Goodwill Ambassador for Rainbows4children, an independent foundation that provides education for disadvantaged children in Ethiopia.

‘Evgeny Kissin, Grigory Sokolov – your successor is coming.’ (Luzerner Zeitung) Dmitry Ishkhanov is an outstanding young interpreter of classical music. Apart from showing incredible potential, he already demonstrates mature and unique artistic capabilities. Amongst his biggest accomplishments, in September 2016, at the age of 11, Dmitry represented Malta at the Eurovision of Young Musicians held in Cologne, Germany, and became the youngest finalist in the Eurovision history. Furthermore, at the age of 14, Dmitry made his debut in Carnegie Hall Stern Auditorium performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Distinguished Concerts Orchestra and conductor Miran Vaupotić. He released his first CD ‘Virtuoso’ in October of 2021 with Parma Recordings, featuring a programme by Chopin. Born in 2005 in Moscow and living in Malta since 2008, Dmitry Ishkhanov demonstrated an interest in music at the age of three, when he started playing the piano with his babysitter, and since his first piano teacher, Lolita Poghosyan, Dmitry never stops improving himself. From 2014 to 2020 Dmitry studied at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln with professors Nina Tichman and Gesa Lücker. Currently, Dmitry is studying at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, Austria, with Prof. Pavel Gililov.

Krzysztof Jablonski

Ian Jones

Stephen Kovacevich

Krzysztof Jablonski is a Laureate of the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 1985. He has won numerous top prizes at international piano competitions in Milan, Palm Beach, Monza, Dublin, New York, and Calgary, and a Gold Medal at the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition in Tel Aviv. For more than 30 years, Jablonski has been active in performing solo and chamber music as well as with orchestras on stages in Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Israel in prestigious concert halls, including appearances on the Master Concert Series at Berliner Philharmonie. He is a jury member at international piano competitions, including Chopin Piano Competitions in Warsaw, Toronto/ Mississauga (Chair of the Jury), Miami, Tokyo, and Foshan in China. He was recently on the Jury of the Lang Lang Shenzhen Futian International Piano Festival Competition. Jablonski is the Head of Piano and Keyboard and Academic Leader of Piano and Keyboard at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. He performed with the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra in January 2023 during the final GBA Festival concert, and during the Belt and Road International Music Festival opening concert in September 2023.

Ian Jones FRCM is Professor of Piano and Deputy Head of Keyboard at the Royal College of Music in London. In May 2014 Fellowship of the Royal College of Music was conferred on him by HRH Prince Charles. He is one of the UK’s most soughtafter piano teachers and his students have enjoyed international success both at competitions and on the concert stage. He is Artistic Director of the World Piano Teachers Association International Piano Competition and often serves on the juries of other international piano competitions. He frequently examines and adjudicates at other leading conservatoires, and regularly performs and conducts international masterclasses in China, Sweden, USA, Serbia, Japan, Ireland, Greece, Italy, Russia and Germany at conservatoires such as Stockholm’s Royal College of Music, Berlin’s UdK and many keyboard faculties in USA. His career as a Steinway Artist has taken him to all five continents, including appearances with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and National Symphony Orchestra at London’s Royal Festival Hall and Barbican Hall, in Paris and throughout France as concerto soloist with the Ensemble International, and he has performed many of Mozart’s piano concertos in Europe and USA. He was piano coach, music advisor and composer/ performer on the Oscar-nominated film Hilary and Jackie and has also written and performed music for France’s two national theatres in Paris and Strasbourg.

Stephen Kovacevich is widely recognized as one of the most revered artists of his generation. With an international career spanning more than six decades, he has long been one of the most admired interpreters of works by Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart and Schubert. Kovacevich made his European debut at Wigmore Hall in 1961. Since then, he has performed with the world’s finest orchestras and conductors, including Georg Solti, Bernard Haitink, Kurt Masur, Simon Rattle and Colin Davis. As a dedicated chamber musician, Stephen Kovacevich has worked with such legendary artists as Jacqueline du Pré and Josef Suk, as well as the Amadeus and Cleveland Quartets. Today he collaborates with violinists Nicola Benedetti, Renaud Capuçon and Alina Ibragimova, cellists Gautier Capuçon, Steven Isserlis and Truls Mørk, flautist Emmanuel Pahud, the Belcea Quartet and the distinguished duo with Martha Argerich.

Víkingur Ólafsson

Noriko Ogawa

Colin Stone

Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson has made a profound impact with his remarkable combination of highest level musicianship and visionary programmes. His recordings for Deutsche Grammophon – Philip Glass Piano Works (2017), Johann Sebastian Bach (2018), Debussy Rameau (2020), Mozart & Contemporaries (2021) and From Afar (2022) – captured the public and critical imagination and have led to career streams of over 600 million. In October 2023, Ólafsson released his anticipated new album on Deutsche Grammophon of J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations. Ólafsson has dedicated his entire 2023/24 season to a Goldberg Variations world tour, performing the work across six continents throughout the year. He brings Bach’s masterpiece to major concert halls, including London’s Southbank Centre, New York’s Carnegie Hall, Wiener Konzerthaus, Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, Sala São Paulo and Philharmonie Berlin, to name a few. Now one of the most sought-after artists of today, Ólafsson’s significant talent extends to broadcast, having presented several of his own series for television and radio. He was Artist in Residence for three months on BBC Radio 4’s flagship arts programme, Front Row.

Noriko Ogawa’s ‘ravishingly poetic playing’ (Telegraph) sets her apart from her contemporaries. As an exclusive recording artist for BIS Records, Noriko boasts a prolific catalogue of over 30 albums from Mozart and Debussy to contemporary composers including Alexander Tcherepnin and Yoshihiro Kanno. Noriko appears with all major European, Japanese and US orchestras including the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Czech National Symphony Orchestra, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. She was appointed as the Chairperson of the Jury for Japan’s prestigious 10th Hamamatsu International Piano Competition in 2018 and elected to the board of the World Federation of International Music Competitions. Noriko is a professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and guest educator at the Royal College of Music, Yamaha Masterclass from Tokyo to Seoul, Chetham’s International Piano Summer School and Hamamatsu International Piano Academy.

Colin Stone’s long and varied career began in the 1980s with success in the Royal Over-Seas League and debuts on BBC Radio 3 and at the Wigmore Hall. Regular broadcasts, London recitals and a series of recordings established him as one of the leading British pianists of his generation. He formed the London Mozart Trio in the 1990s and made his debut with the BBC Symphony Orchestra in 2001, giving the premiere of Robert Keeley’s Entourages in a live broadcast on Radio 3. Another premiere, a recording with Rustem Hayroudinoff of Shostakovich’s transcription for two pianos of his fourth symphony, attracted considerable praise in the music press. Colin Stone performed Shostakovich’s 24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87 in a concert introduced by Vladimir Ashkenazy, during the composer’s centenary celebrations in 2006 at Cadogan Hall, and subsequently recorded the set on the BigEars label. Colin was invited to become a professor at the Royal Academy of Music in 1999, and continues to enjoy a life of teaching, performing, and recording.

Kathryn Stott

Carducci Quartet

At the age of five, I made friends with the upright piano in our living room. That was the beginning of my musical journey, one which continues as you read this. Studies at the Yehudi Menuhin School and the Royal College of Music led me abruptly into the life of a professional musician via the Leeds International Piano Competition and onto a steep learning curve. After a rollercoaster three years, I realised that I needed to re-connect with chamber music in a bid to feel more connected to other musicians and when, quite by chance, I met Yo-Yo Ma in 1978, it turned out to be one of the most fortuitous moments of my life and led to a long-standing collaboration. There are too many highlights in my career to mention. Yes, it was a thrill to perform at the Last Night of the Proms, but equally a massive thrill to have lit up twenty small faces in an inner city school while they jumped up and down to energetic piano music! Working with young musicians is something I feel passionate about and I’ve also had some truly exciting music written for me by composers. What an unbelievable privilege it is to be immersed in a language which has no boundaries and has allowed me to share musical stories on a global scale; that little upright piano set me on quite a path! www.kathrynstott.com

Described by The Strad as presenting ‘a masterclass in unanimity of musical purpose, in which severity could melt seamlessly into charm, and drama into geniality’, the award-winning Carducci Quartet is internationally acclaimed as one of the most accomplished and versatile ensembles of today. As well as mastering the core repertoire, the quartet presents a selection of new works each season and diversifies further with programmes of film music, pop, folk and rock, as well as concerts of music and spoken word. Founded in 1997, the ensemble was a prize winner at numerous international competitions, including the Concert Artists Guild International Competition, and Finland’s Kuhmo International Chamber Music Competition. Recent highlights include a televised performance at the 2023 BBC Proms (Royal Albert Hall) with Voces8, a collaboration with Roderick Williams to close the Aldeburgh Festival, and a series of concerts across the UK with jazz singer Jacqui Dankworth. The 2023/24 season will include an evening of concerts at London’s Southbank Centre celebrating composer Peter Gregson; returns to the Wigmore Hall in London and National Concert Hall Dublin; and a tour to Italy.

Alfred Brendel KBE Patron Sir András Schiff President Marios Papadopoulos MBE Artistic Director

For your diary:

Oxford Piano Festival 2025 Sat 26 July – Sun 3 Aug 2025

oxfordpianofestival.com

Oxford Piano Festival The Oxford Piano Festival was founded in 1999 by Marios Papadopoulos, renowned pianist and Music Director of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra. Each year, the Festival welcomes piano players and pedagogues, experts and enthusiasts to some of Oxford’s most historic venues, such as Sir Christopher Wren’s Sheldonian Theatre, the Holywell Music Room, and Christ Church Cathedral.

some of the world’s finest pianists and teachers as part of a dedicated community of artists, encouraging exchange over competition. The concept of the pianist as musician lies at the heart of the Festival. The various roles of the pianist – as virtuoso, chamber musician, accompanist, conductor, academic and teacher – are all examined. As part of this holistic approach, the various international schools of piano playing are considered.

The Oxford Piano Festival takes place in the last week of July, on the tranquil and scenic campus of St Hilda’s College, Oxford, home of the JdP Music Building, and located just a few minutes’ walk from the city centre.

With Alfred Brendel as the Festival’s Patron, Sir András Schiff as President, and the Festival’s founder Marios Papadopoulos a renowned pianist himself, the bar is set very high in terms of quality and artistic integrity.

The Oxford Piano Festival’s objective is simple: to inspire, support and encourage music-making at the piano of the highest quality. Welcoming world-renowned soloists and teachers each year, the Festival provides gifted young players with a rare opportunity to perform and to learn new repertoire, and to work alongside and learn from

Previous participants at the Festival have gone on to achieve great success. Notable alumni include Alim Beisembayev (winner of the Leeds International Piano Competition 2021), Martin James Bartlett, Mark Viner, Alexander Ullman, Mishka Rushdie-Momen and Denis Kozhukhin.

Support the Oxford Piano Festival Nurturing and developing emerging artists from diverse backgrounds

Scholarship With philanthropic support, we are able to offer full scholarships to participants to ensure fair access to talent pathways into classical music and to promote the diversity of the pipeline of emerging pianists.

The Oxford Piano Festival attracts the very best young artists globally to participate in a week’s programme of masterclasses and concerts with distinguished pianists. Since 1999, the Festival has provided a springboard for young people who are on the verge of exciting careers.

Legacy

Join us for the 2024 Festival and help support emerging young artists with extraordinary performance opportunities and unique tutoring from world-leading pianists.

A legacy would support the Piano Festival and the Orchestra’s educational programmes with emerging artists. If you would like the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra (Registered Charity no. 1084256) to thrive in every aspect, please consider making an unrestricted gift. To donate or learn more about how to support, please contact Jemma Crossely on 01865 987 222 or at jemma@oxfordphil.com.

General Support Donate to masterclasses that explore the various schools of piano playing, provide students with new approaches to their artform, and help them to become well-rounded performers. Inspirational concerts and events featuring renowned artists provide life-changing experiences to these up-and-coming pianists.

‘It was an incredible privilege to take part in masterclasses at the Festival, to be able to learn from such legendary musicians as Maria Curcio, Ferenc Rados, and Sir András Schiff, whose lessons were unforgettable, along with those of many other wonderful teachers – and in such an inspiring historical setting. It is truly amazing to see what our director Marios Papadopoulos has achieved, and I found it very moving to return to the Festival for a recital last summer.’ Mishka Rushdie Momen

Information for Participants and Observers Participants (playing students): All participants receive four one-hour lessons in public masterclasses with four professors of the Piano Festival Faculty and perform a piece at the Participants’ Recital. Although we try to accommodate participants’ choice of teachers, we cannot guarantee that everyone will receive tuition from their preferred professors. Participants are provided with a Festival Pass which offers entry to all events.

Arrival and Registration: Festival staff will be at St Hilda’s College to welcome participants and observers and show them to their accommodation. Please aim to register at the JdP Music Building by 14:00. Accommodation/meals: Accommodation is available on site at St Hilda’s College and includes all meals. Meals start with dinner on 27 July and end with lunch on 4 August.

Observers (non-playing attendees): Full-time observers are provided with a Festival Pass upon arrival and registration, which offers entry to all events.

Accommodation is subject to availability and allocated on a ‘first-come, first-served’ basis. Requests for part-time accommodation at St Hilda’s will only be accepted, subject to availability, in early July.

Practical Information

Practice Pianos: Festival participants may practise for up to three hours per day in the JdP Music Building.

Travel: The Oxford Bus Company (01865 785 400 / www.oxfordbus.co.uk/airline) runs a coach service from Heathrow and Gatwick airports named ‘the airline’. Stagecoach runs a 24-hour coach service between Oxford and Central London (01865 772250 / www.oxfordtube.com). There are frequent rail services from London Paddington and London Marylebone to Oxford (information from National Rail Enquiries on 0345 748 4950 / www.nationalrail.co.uk). Our staff are happy to advise you about your journey to and from the Festival.

Certificates: Certificates of Attendance will be presented to all Festival Pass holders in the closing ceremony. Scholarships: We understand that for some participants the cost may be out of reach. We welcome applications for a scholarship that will help with some or all of the cost. Livestreaming: Masterclasses at the Oxford Piano Festival will be livestreamed to the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra YouTube channel. Participants of these masterclasses agree to the livestreams remaining available to view online for two years from the date of broadcast.

Transport to concerts: All concerts are within walking distance (under 1 mile) of St Hilda’s College. The office can organise taxis at an additional cost for those who would prefer not to walk. We advise against driving as there is no parking available within St Hilda’s College.

How to Apply Participants should apply via oxfordpianofestival.com/information-forapplicants or by scanning the QR code. Fill in the application form at the bottom of the webpage, where you will submit a short biography and video links of yourself playing 10–15 minutes of standard repertoire. Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by May 2024. 26 April 2024 application deadline

Entry Requirements

Prices

Participants: We welcome applications from advanced piano students (of at least Diploma standard) of all nationalities born on or after 27 July 1997.

Festival Passes: Participant £900 (offers entry to watch all events, plus masterclass tuition and performance in Participants’ Recital)

Observers: Open to all.

Observer £375 (offers tickets to all events) Please note that accommodation is not included in the Festival Passes and should be purchased separately.

Cancellation Policy: Participants and observers who withdraw from the Festival will receive a refund of all but £50 if withdrawn by 5 July. Those who withdraw after 5 July will also have additional expenses incurred by the Festival deducted from their refund.

Full-board single-room accommodation: Standard £725 En suite £830 Anniversary Building £975 Full-board for 2 people sharing twin-room accommodation: Standard £1,200 En suite £1,300 Anniversary Building £1,430

Payment Deadline 5 July 2024

Venue Information Christ Church Cathedral Christ Church, St Aldate’s, Oxford OX1 1DP Holywell Music Room Holywell Street, Oxford OX1 3SD JdP Music Building St Hilda’s College, Cowley Place, Oxford OX4 1DY Sheldonian Theatre Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3AZ University Church of St Mary the Virgin High Street, Oxford OX1 4BJ

Festival events are open to the public.

Prices

How to Book

Masterclasses £12 (no concessions) Other events are priced individually Book 7+ events for a 10% discount

Tel: 01865 980 980 Email: boxoffice@oxfordphil.com Online: oxfordpianofestival.com

Photography credits: Satoshi Aoyagi, Victoria Cadisch, Richard Cave, Simon Fowler / Warner Classics, Chris Gloag, Clare Park, Elishama Udorok, Hugh Warwick. This brochure is published by Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra Productions Ltd. Information is correct at time of going to press (January 2024). Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra Productions Ltd reserves the right to change the date, time, artist, programme or venue of any event where unavoidable.

Observer Sign-up Form Purchase your Observer Festival Pass and full-board accommodation online at oxfordphil.com/shop or by calling 01865 980 980. Alternatively, please fill in this form and return no later than 5 July 2024 to William Emery, Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, 29a Teignmouth Road, London NW2 4EB, or email William at opoeducation@oxfordphil.com. Title Name Address

Postcode Telephone E-mail

Payment Methods Pay online oxfordpianofestival.com Cheque made payable to Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra Productions Ltd Debit/credit Card: please call +44 (0)1865 980 980 Online transfer (state your name as the payment reference and please note the full amount should be transferred net of bank charges) Account Name: Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra Productions Ltd Account No: 8771 4957 Sort Code: 515001 Swift Address: NWBK GB 2L Iban: GB40 NWBK 5150 0187 7149 57