Born in Scotland, Roy Howat enjoys an international reputation as both pianist and scholar.  His teachers included Vlado Perlemuter, who worked closely with Fauré and Ravel, and Jacques Février who for many years was Poulenc’s piano duo partner.  Roy knows much of his concert repertoire from the composers’ manuscripts, and is one of the co-founding editors of the Paris-based New Complete Debussy Edition, whose piano volumes are now widely available from Editions Durand.  He has also produced highly-regarded editions of Fauré piano and chamber music for Peters Edition, and a Dover edition of Chabrier’s piano music.  His writings include book chapters about various composers, but above all the two influential books Debussy in proportion and The Art of French piano music (the latter published in 2009 to widespread critical acclaim).

Roy’s concerts and masterclasses regularly take him worldwide. Besides his renowned specialisation in French repertoire, he enjoys a wide repertoire and has premièred numerous works, some of which were written for him and others discovered by him. His recent performances with the Panocha Quartet of Prague have brought the house down at festivals in Japan, the Czech Republic and England, including a sold-out Wigmore Hall in London. Since the 1980s he has been closely connected with Australia, where he has performed and broadcast widely and held various lecturing or research positions.

Roy has appeared as concerto soloist with orchestras from Scotland to Hong Kong, New Zealand and Australia, including performances of Poulenc’s Concert champêtre with The Queensland Orchestra in 2008.  His recordings include Debussy’s complete solo piano works (on Tall Poppies), several CDs of chamber music, a CD of Chabrier piano music and, most recently, Belle Epoque, a 2-CD album of Fauré piano music on ABC Classics, including duets with Emily Kilpatrick.  Based in London and Paris, Roy holds the post of Keyboard Research Fellow at the Royal Academy of Music.

Click here to visit Roy Howat’s website.

Hannah Christ was born into a musical family, both her grandparents and parents being professional musicians. She began her musical journey at the age of 5, first studying violin until taking up the oboe at the age of 10. She had always loved the haunting sound of the oboe, being inspired by her grandfather, Jiri Tancibudek who was a renowned oboist.

Hannah has won many first prizes in a number of Eisteddfod competitions and high distinctions in AMEB examinations and performed in several AMEB High Achievers’ concerts.

In 2008 she won first prize and a musical scholarship awarded by the Metropolitan Choir of South Australia and performed as a soloist on numerous occasions in Elder Hall and the Adelaide Town Hall.

She is currently completing Year 12 at Pembroke School as a music scholarship student and is Principal Oboe of the Adelaide Youth Orchestra.

She has worked extensively in children’s theatre having written and performed her own children’s plays including compere scripts for the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra’s Family Concerts.  She was the Artistic Director of specially commissioned song cycles for the Primary Schools’ Music Festival in 2001, 2002 and 2004 and has a 16 year association with Patch Theatre Company during which time she has ridden on the back of flying unicorns and has played witches, hags, spiders, wolves, goats, dogs, crows, lions and a singing maggot, tree and tortoise to name just a few.

Her major occupation in recent years has been cavorting with her own children, Georgia aged 9, Angus, 5 and Esther Mili Rose, 1.