Biography
Stephen Hough
With a singular vision that transcends musical fashions and trends, Stephen Hough is widely regarded as one of the most important and distinctive pianists of his generation. In recognition of his achievements, he was awarded a prestigious MacArthur Fellowship in 2001, joining prominent scientists, writers and others who have made unique contributions to contemporary life. He received the 2008 Northwestern University School of Music's Jean Gimbel Lane Prize in Piano Performance and was recently named winner of the 2010 Royal Philharmonic Society Instrumentalist Award.
Mr. Hough has appeared with most of the major American and European orchestras and plays recitals regularly in the important halls and concert series around the world. Recent engagements include recitals in London, Paris, Madrid, Hong Kong, Sydney and on the main stage of Carnegie Hall; performances with the New York, London, Los Angeles and Czech Philharmonics, the Chicago, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Boston, St. Louis, Toronto and Atlanta Symphonies, the Cleveland, Philadelphia, Minnesota and Russian National Orchestras; and a worldwide televised performance with the Berlin Philharmonic and Sir Simon Rattle.
Stephen Hough is also a regular guest at festivals such as Salzburg, Ravinia, Tanglewood, Edinburgh, Aldeburgh and the BBC Proms, where he has made over 15 concerto appearances. In the summer of 2009 he played all of the works for piano and orchestra of Tchaikovsky over four Prom concerts, three of which were broadcast live on BBC television. During the summer of 2010 he returns to the Hollywood Bowl and the Blossom, Aspen, Grand Teton and Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festivals.
Highlights of Mr. Hough's 2010/11 season include playing all four of Tchaikovsky's piano concertos over six concerts with the Chicago Symphony; re-engagements with the Philadelphia Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, and the St. Louis, Houston, Montreal, Seattle, Vancouver, Colorado and Oregon symphonies; a European tour with the Budapest Festival Orchestra including London's Royal Festival Hall; and a recital for the Van Cliburn Foundation in Fort Worth.
An exclusive Hyperion recording artist, many of Stephen Hough's catalogue of over 50 CDs have garnered international prizes, including the Deutsche Schallplattenpreis, Diapason d'or, Monde de la musique, four Grammy nominations, and eight Gramophone Magazine Awards, including 'Record of the Year' in 1996 and 2003, and the Gramophone 'Gold Disc' Award in 2008, which named his complete Saint-Saëns Piano Concertos as the best recording of the past 30 years. His 2005 live recording of the Rachmaninoff Piano Concertos became the fastest selling recording in Hyperion's history, while his 1987 recording of Hummel concertos remains Chandos' best-selling disc to date. His most recent releases are the Complete Works for Piano and Orchestra by Tchaikovsky with the Minnesota Orchestra led by Osmo Vänskä and a Chopin recital: "Late Masterpieces".
Mr. Hough is also an avid writer and composer. He has written for The Guardian, The Times, and was invited by the Telegraph Media Group in 2008 to start what has become one of the most popular cultural blogs. He has also written extensively about theology for the print media and his book, The Bible as Prayer, was published in the US and Canada by Paulist Press in 2007.
Stephen Hough's recent compositions include a cello concerto, The Loneliest Wilderness; two choral works - Mass of Innocence and Experience and Missa Mirabilis - which were performed at London's Westminster Abbey and Westminster Cathedral respectively; a trio, Was mit den Tränen geschieht, commissioned by members of the Berlin Philharmonic; and a string sextet, Requiem Aeternum: after Victoria, commissioned by the National Gallery for their major autumn 2009 exhibition, The Sacred Made Real: Spanish Painting and Sculpture 1600-1700. Hough has also published numerous compositions with Josef Weinberger Ltd.
A resident of London, Mr. Hough is a visiting professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London and holds the International Chair of Piano Studies at his alma mater, the Royal Northern College in Manchester.
For further information please visit www.stephenhough.com