Piano Festival Faculty

Ingrid Fliter *◊

Argentine pianist Ingrid Fliter has won the admiration and hearts of audiences around the world for her passionate yet sensitive music-making and effortless technique. Winner of the 2006 Gilmore Artist Award, and the only woman to have ever received this honour, Ms Fliter divides her time between North America and Europe.

Highlights of Ms Fliter’s 2025/26 season include orchestral appearances with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, Oregon Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Gulbenkian Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra Taiwan, and recitals at the Mänttä Music Festival in Finland, the Fryderyk Chopin Institute in Poland, and the London Piano Festival at King’s Place. Recent orchestral engagements include appearances with the Auckland Philharmonia, Minnesota Orchestra, and the Sydney, Singapore, Vancouver, and Milwaukee Symphony Orchestras

A Linn recording artist, Ms Fliter’s most recent recording is the first of two discs of Chopin Mazurkas. Her two all-Chopin recordings for EMI earned her the reputation as one of the pre-eminent interpreters of that composer.

Alon Goldstein ◊

Alon Goldstein is one of the most original and sensitive artists of his generation, admired for his musical intelligence and dynamic personality. His artistic vision and innovative programming have made him a favourite with audiences and critics alike throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. He performed with such orchestras as the Los Angeles Philharmonic; Philadelphia Orchestra; the San Francisco, Baltimore, St. Louis, Houston, Dallas, Vancouver and Toronto symphonies, as well as the London Philharmonic, The Radio France orchestra, Beijing Symphony and many others, under the batons of Herbert Blomstedt, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Zubin Mehta, Vladimir Jurowski among others. Mr. Goldstein performs in Carnegie Hall, Teatro Colon as well as the GoldenSaal at the Musikverein.  He also maintains an active recording presence on the Naxos label, including his series of the entire Mozart piano concerti with the Fine Arts Quartet (Nos 19 & 25 nominated for a Grammy Award), Dvořák piano trios with the Tempest Trio, and an album of Scarlatti piano sonatas.

He received the ‘Society of Scholars’ medal, the highest award given to a very selected few alumnus of Johns Hopkins university, were Mr. Goldstein graduated having studied under Leon Fleisher. 

Richard Goode *◊

Richard Goode has been hailed for music-making of tremendous emotional power, depth and expressiveness, and is recognised worldwide as one of today’s leading interpreters of Classical and Romantic music. An exclusive Nonesuch artist, Goode is a regular performer in the major recital halls and festivals across Europe and the US and performs as soloist with some of the world’s finest orchestras.

Goode has made more than two dozen recordings over the years, ranging from solo and chamber works to lieder and concertos. His 10-CD set of the complete Beethoven sonatas cycle, the first-ever by an American-born pianist, was nominated for a Grammy and has been ranked among the most distinguished recordings of this repertoire.

Goode is also a highly respected teacher and mentor of young musicians and holds the position of International Chair of Piano Studies at London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and Visiting Professor at the Royal Academy of Music.

For the 2025-26 season, Goode joins The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra as an Artistic Partner.

Rustem Hayroudinoff ◊

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 Rachmaninoff Preludes was selected by Classic FM Magazine as part of its ‘Essential Rachmaninoff 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.

Hayroudinoff is currently a professor at the Royal Academy of Music.

Ian Jones ◊

Ian Jones FRCM is Deputy Head of Keyboard at the Royal College of Music, London, and fellowship of the RCM was conferred on him by His Majesty King Charles III in 2014. He is one of the UK’s most sought-after piano teachers and is frequently invited to give masterclasses in renowned institutions worldwide, including recent residencies at Universität der Künste in Berlin, Shanghai Conservatory and several USA universities. He is Artistic Director of the WPTA International Piano Competition, International Advisor for the Isidor Basic International Piano Competition in Serbia and often serves on the juries of other international piano competitions.

His career as a Steinway Artist takes him around the globe to perform as guest artist and give masterclasses at numerous international music festivals, including most recently at Chigiana Academy, Siena and MusicFest Perugia.

He has broadcast for radio and television networks internationally and his world premiere performances and recordings of music by British composer Rebecca Clarke received much enthusiastic attention. Classic FM magazine wrote that ‘Jones possesses the “pearl” touch that marks out the finest Chopin exponents…his timing remains immaculate whatever the technical pressure.

Isata Kanneh-Mason *

Pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason offers eclectic and stimulating recital programmes with repertoire encompassing Haydn and Mozart, Fanny Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann, Chopin and Brahms to Gershwin and beyond. In concerto, she is equally at home in Felix Mendelssohn and Beethoven as in Prokofiev and Rachmaninov.

Isata is in high demand from concert halls and orchestras worldwide. In July 2024, she was invited to perform at the First Night of the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall with the BBC Symphony and conductor Elim Chan, a performance which resulted in stellar reviews in the mainstream press.

Highlights of the 2025/26 season include Rachmaninov’s third piano concerto with Bar Avni and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, and with Petr Popelka with the Prague Radio Symphony at the Rudolfinum. Isata makes further debuts with the Naples Philharmonic and Seattle Symphony, and returns to the City of Birmingham Symphony, the BBC Scottish Symphony, Detroit Symphony, and National Arts Centre Orchestra Ottawa.

Isata exclusively records for Decca Classics.

Stephen Kovacevich ◊

Stephen Kovacevich is widely recognised 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 has a distinguished duo with Martha Argerich.

Vanessa Latarche◊

A renowned piano pedagogue, with many international competition prize-winners amongst her students, Vanessa has been Head of Keyboard at the Royal College of Music since 2005. Awarded a Fellowship of the Royal College of Music in 2010 for outstanding services to music, an honour conferred on her by the then HRH Prince of Wales, in September 2011, she was granted a Personal Chair at the RCM, which gave her the title of Chair of International Keyboard Studies. She also holds the position of Artistic Director of Hastings International Piano Competition, as well as Artistic Advisor to the Lang Lang International Music Foundation.

She has performed as a soloist with international orchestras and those in the UK including the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, BBC NOW, working with many leading conductors. She is a Steinway Artist and has broadcast for over 30 years for BBC Radio 3 and has also broadcast extensively on the BBC World Service and BBC Radio 4. To celebrate Queen Victoria’s 200^th birthday in 2018, Vanessa appeared on BBC 2’s documentary on the Queen, Prince Albert and Felix Mendelssohn with Lucy Worsley, which was filmed in Buckingham Palace.

Elisabeth Leonskaja ◊*

The pianist Elisabeth Leonskaja is one of the most important performers of our time. In 2020, she was awarded the International Classical Music Award (ICMA) for her life’s work. A few years earlier, she received the country’s highest award, ‘Priestess of Art’, from her native Georgia. In her adopted home of Austria, she was also awarded the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, First Class, for special services to the country’s culture. In 2024, she received the Wigmore Hall Medal in London.

Elisabeth Leonskaja’s extensive discography is adorned with numerous awards. She has received the coveted Caecilia Prize and the Diapason d’Or, among others. She has recorded all of the piano sonatas by Franz Schubert and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In 2024, the piano concertos by Robert Schumann and Edvard Grieg were released with the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Michael Sanderling. Her most recent solo album is dedicated to the Second Viennese School – Arnold Schönberg, Anton Webern, Alban Berg, and, with orchestra, she released in 2025 Beethoven’s Emperor piano concerto, coupled with the quintet for piano and winds by the same composer.

Paul Lewis ◊*

Paul Lewis is one of the foremost interpreters of the Central European piano repertoire, his performances and recordings of Beethoven and Schubert receiving universal critical acclaim. He was awarded CBE for his services to music, and the sincerity and depth of his musical approach have won him fans around the world. This global popularity is reflected in the world-class orchestras with whom he works, including the Berlin Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, London Symphony, Philharmonia, Bavarian Radio Symphony, NHK Symphony, New York Philharmonic, LA Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw and Leipzig Gewandhaus orchestras. His close relationship with Boston Symphony Orchestra led to his selection as the 2020 Koussevitzky Artist at Tanglewood.

Lewis often focuses on specific composers in projects that allow him to take audiences deep inside the works. In 2026 and 2027, he will tour his Mozart+ series around the world, juxtaposing Mozart’s lesser-known piano repertoire with works by composers such as Poulenc, Chopin and Weber, illuminating Mozart’s influences over subsequent generations, as well as shining a light on works that are often overshadowed by his concertos.

Theodosia Ntokou *

Praised by BBC Music Magazine as ‘dramatically poised’, ‘classically aware’, ‘emotionally supple’, and ‘refreshing’, Greek pianist Theodosia Ntokou has established a distinguished presence on the international classical music scene. Celebrated for her expressive artistry, refined technique, and compelling stage presence, she captivates audiences in major concert halls around the world.

A protégé of the legendary Martha Argerich, with whom she released a highly acclaimed Beethoven album on Warner Music, Theodosia is admired for her rich sound and thoughtful interpretations. Gramophone Magazine noted, ‘I can see why Argerich is drawn to Ntokou’s playing, for it has a certain freedom and daring.’

She is the Founder and Artistic Director of the China Music Series, an international festival devoted to fostering cultural exchange and promoting the highest standards of classical music. An active chamber musician, she has collaborated with esteemed artists including Martha Argerich, Maxim Vengerov, Steven Isserlis, Gil Shaham, Mischa Maisky, and Daniel Hope, among many others.

Momoro Ono ◊

Momoro Ono has given numerous concerts and masterclasses, including the University of British Columbia, Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta, Xavier University Music Series in Cincinnati, Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, Seoul National University, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Conparu Hall in Japan and Kennedy Center Concert Hall.

This past summer, Momoro performed his arrangement of Manuel de Falla’s ‘Ritual Fire Dance’ at Carnegie Weill Hall during the Sound Espressivo Laureates Gala. He then presented his own ‘Through Chaos’ at the NCKP Piano Conference in Chicago. He has appeared as soloist with the Baltimore and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestras, the latter performance broadcast on NPR.

He holds a Doctorate and Artist Diploma from the Peabody Institute, where he studied with Leon Fleisher. He also holds his Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees from the Juilliard School as a student of Adele Marcus. He and his violinist wife, Heejoung Kim, also received coaching from the Guarneri Quartet. He currently serves on the piano faculties at Creighton University and Omaha Conservatory.

Steven Osborne *◊

Steven Osborne’s musical insight and integrity underpin idiomatic interpretations of varied repertoire that have won him fans around the world. The extent of his range is demonstrated by his 35 recordings for Hyperion, which have earned numerous awards, and he was made an OBE for his services to music in the Queen’s New Year Honours in 2022. The Observer described him as ‘a player in absolute service to the composer’.

A thoughtful and curious musician, he has served as Artist-in-Residence at Wigmore Hall, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Bath International Music Festival.

Orchestral engagements in 25/26 include a tour with the Philharmonia Orchestra (Mozart) and performances with the San Diego Symphony (Beethoven), Malmö Symphony, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, and Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

Marios Papadopoulos ◊

Marios Papadopoulos is the Founder of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra and the Oxford Piano Festival. He has appeared in many of the world’s most prestigious venues and worked with a host of eminent musicians including Evgeny Kissin, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Maxim Vengerov, Martha Argerich and Lang Lang. His many recordings feature works by Beethoven, Mozart, Mussorgsky, César Franck, Stravinsky and the 24 Preludes and Fugues by Shostakovich. He conducts the Oxford Philharmonic in new recordings of the Brahms and Sibelius violin concertos with Maxim Vengerov with whom he has also recorded the complete Brahms Violin Sonatas. In recent years, Maestro Papadopoulos has concentrated his work mainly in Oxford with the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra. Rare guest appearances have included a UK tour with the LPO and a Mozart Piano Concerto cycle directed from the keyboard with the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra. In 2019, he conducted  a new production of The Marriage of Figaro for the Greek National Opera at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in Athens. Marios holds a doctorate in music from City University, is a Fellow by Special Election of Keble College, Oxford and has been awarded an MBE for services to music in Oxford.

Kathryn Stott ◊

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!

Arie Vardi ◊

Beginning his artistic career at the age of fifteen, Israeli born Arie Vardi went on to receive acclaim as one of the country’s foremost pianists. After winning the Chopin Competition in Israel, he appeared with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra with Zubin Mehta, and upon winning the George Enescu International Competition in Bucharest, he played numerous concerts throughout Europe.

Alongside his study of music at the Rubin Academy he succeeded in achieving a degree in law at Tel Aviv University. Vardi has performed widely as soloist with major orchestras under the baton of Semyon Bychkov, Sergio Commissiona, Gustavo Dudamel, Lukas Foss, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Kurt Masur, Zubin Mehta, Paul Paray, Paul Sacher, David Zinman and David Robertson, among others. Concert tours have taken him to Australia, Europe, East Asia, Latin America and the United States. He played together with Yo-Yo Ma, Radu Lupu, Joseph Silverstein, Yefim Bronfman, Pnina Salzman, Murray Perahia and András Schiff. In addition to his concert career, Vardi is a professor of piano at the Hochschule für Musik in Hannover and at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music in Tel Aviv, where he served as Director and Chair of the piano faculty. Over 60 of his students have won first prizes at international competitions.