Another very unexpected award has come my way which will be presented in June 2020: The Wigmore Hall Medal. There is no recital and chamber music hall in the world that has the wide range of programming and array of artists as does the Wigmore, and this honour means so much to me. As I wrote when the award was announced:
“Thank you, Wigmore Hall and director John Gilhooly, for awarding me this most prestigious honour, and adding my name to such an illustrious list of former winners. There is no other recital hall stage in the world that feels more like “home” than does Wigmore, and my performances there over the past 35 years have been the backbone of my career, always giving me the inspiration to go on.
I vividly remember my debut there in January 1985, when I had only just come to live in London and knew hardly anybody. It took me fifteen years of hard work (largely doing the concert marketing myself along with concert manager Jane Gray) to get to the point where it was sold out in advance. It was worth every leaflet, every stamp and every envelope!
I wholeheartedly thank William Lyne and John Gilhooly for believing in me, and giving me every opportunity to perform not only Bach, but also the complete works of Ravel, Chabrier, all the Chopin Nocturnes in one evening, for getting me started on Couperin, for commissioning new works from six composers for my Bach Book, and of course to John for having the idea of my current Bach Odyssey in the first place, and then for persuading me to do it. What a wonderful experience it has been! It has also been a joy to share that beautiful stage doing chamber music with fellow musicians as well as giving masterclasses to young pianists. I look forward to many more years of collaboration. Thank you!”
You can read more here.
The final concerts of my Bach Odyssey at Wigmore Hall take place on March 28 and June 2, 2020.