Free Lunchtime Concert: Tom Hicks (Piano)

Hailed as an artist of ‘magnificent pianism’ Guernsey-born pianist Tom Hicks has gained first prize in competitions including the Wales International Piano Competition and the EPTA UK Piano Competition. Alongside competition successes, Tom has won awards such as the Faculty of Humanities Outstanding Academic Achievement Award, the Keith Elcombe Prize for Best Overall Performance and three Proctor-Gregg Performance Prizes from the University of Manchester and the Gold Medal Award and Peter Frankl Piano Prize from the Royal Northern College of Music.

After lessons in Guernsey with Mervyn Grand, Tom gained a place at Chetham’s School of Music in 2009. He studied with Murray McLachlan with whom he continued on the prestigious joint course at The Royal Northern College of Music and Manchester University. Since 2015 he has been based in America, studying with Boris Berman at Yale University’s School of Music and as a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate with James Giles at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music.

Tom has an expansive repertoire and has appeared as recitalist in venues such as The Wigmore Hall and St John’s Smith Square in London, The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, and in many other venues throughout Europe and the United States. He has appeared as concerto soloist on more than 30 occasions, including two complete cycles of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerti.

Alongside his solo career, Tom is a skilled accompanist and chamber musician. Highlights include performances of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring with piano duo partner Eylam Keshet in Sprague Hall (New Haven) and the quintets of Schumann and Dvorak with the Coull Quartet at St James Concert Hall (Guernsey). Tom also enjoys conducting and in 2012 co-founded Guernsey-based modern music ensemble Terra Nova. Tom is grateful for financial assistance from the BWCI Foundation.

Programme

Ireland The Island Spell
Tchaikovsky The Seasons
Ireland Sarnia

Performer

Tom Hicks Piano