The Edinburgh Royal Mile International Piano Series 2024
A beautiful new Steinway Model B Grand Piano recently arrived at St Giles' Cathedral, opening up some very exciting possibilities for music making in the cathedral. We are very excited to announce a dedicated mini-series of one-hour piano recitals in the month of April 2024 featuring four of the country's leading concert pianists and four of Beethoven's greatest masterpieces. Each pianist will perform a programme around one of Beethoven's glorious Piano Sonatas and will take place at 6.30pm on every consecutive Monday in April from Monday 8th April and featuring the following pianists:
Warren Mailley-Smith made waves in the music world in 2015 through his extraordinary achievement of performing the complete solo works of Chopin from memory and is a regular soloist at St Giles Cathedral. His career has taken him all over the world, with solo performances in Australia, Europe and most solo tours in China and the USA.
Tyler Hay an outstanding virtuoso pianist who enjoys tackling some of the most demanding works in the repertoire. He has performed Rachmaninoff's 2nd Sonata at Wigmore Hall and Cadogan Hall, Scriabin's 5th Sonata at the Southbank's Purcell Room' He's also performed Ravel's Concerto for Left Hand Alone at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Tyler previously one first prize in the keyboard section of the Royal Overseas League Competition also also the Liszt Society Competition
Julian Trevelyan is a British pianist, currently resident in Paris and performs regularly throughout Europe and the UK. In the current season he has given five performances of Bartók's 1st piano concerto with Musikkollegium Winterthur, and two performances of Lutosławski's Variations on a Theme by Paganini for piano and orchestra with I Pomeriggi Musicali in Milan. Solo recitals have included performances of Beethoven's Diabelli variations in Festivals in London, Cambridge, Munich, Paris, Switzerland and Vienna.
Simon Callaghan performs internationally as a soloist and chamber musician, in parallel with a highly successful career as a recording artist. A favourite performer at the internationally- renowned Husum Festival of Piano Rarities in Germany, Callaghan's recent sell-out concert was praised by VAN Magazine as a "cleverly curated recital full of discoveries" and by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung as "technically brilliant". St Giles Cathedral is very excited to host such an intensive mini-festival of stunning pianism. Tickets for all these events can be purchased via the cathedral website or using the direct links below
Mon 8th April - Warren Mailley-Smith - Sonata Op.53 in C Major 'The Waldstein'
Mon 15th April - Tyler Hay - Sonata Op.31 No.2 in D minor ' The Tempest'
Mon 22nd April - Julian Trevelyan - Sonata Op.31 No.1
Mon 29th April - Simon Callaghan - Sonata Op.13 in C minor 'The Pathetique'
The inaugural series will be expanded in the coming months to include all 32 of Beethoven's magnificent piano sonatas, with many more leading national and international concert pianists. This will be an unrivalled opportunity to hear some of the greatest piano music ever written for the piano as curated by our exceptional guest artists.
St Giles welcomes all to attend, whether pianists themselves or music lovers in general. It's also a brilliant introduction to the world of solo piano repertoire and its impressive range and beauty. Steinway pianos are revered for their exceptional quality and meticulous craftsmanship. Combined with the stunning candlelight setting and acoustic of St Giles' Cathedral, these recitals will be an unmissable musical experience.
St Giles is partnering with CityMusic Promotions to bring you this exceptional new series. CityMusic Promotions is a national company that specialises in promoting classical concerts in the UK, featuring world-class soloists and chamber musicians with the aim of developing new audiences to classical music by promoting musical excellence alongside engaging presentation.