Kathryn Stott
Professor of Piano
FRNCM, ARCM, HonRAM, Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres
Email: [email protected]
Kathryn Stott has been internationally recognised as one of Britain’s most versatile and imaginative musicians for 46 years. As well as appearing on major international concert platforms as a soloist, she has also enjoyed a variety of chamber music alliances, playing with some of the world’s leading instrumentalists, including Yo-Yo Ma and Janine Jansen. Kathryn has also directed several distinctive concert series and festivals and has developed an extensive and exceptionally varied catalogue of recordings.
Born in Lancashire, she studied at the Yehudi Menuhin School and the Royal College of Music and was a prize-winner at the Leeds International Piano Competition 1978. Her teachers included Nadia Boulanger, Vlado Perlemuter and Kendall Taylor and she considers herself to be extremely fortunate to have been exposed to some truly inspirational musicians from a young age.
Kathryn performed with Yo-Yo Ma for 40 years and together they regularly toured Europe, the USA, South America and the Far East. In 2020, she curated their album ‘Songs of Comfort and Hope’ as a musical response to the impact of the pandemic. Their final album, ‘Merci’ is a tribute to Gabriel Fauré, the Boulanger sisters and other composers to whom they are both related in their teacher lineage. Over the years, Kathryn developed shared musical interests with an amazing array of performers and has always enjoyed collaborations with other musicians – curiosity has been a key element in her career. A remarkable exponent of Tango and other Latin dance music, this was reflected in her collaboration with South American musicians on the Grammy Award-winning Sony CD ‘Soul of the Tango’ and its successor ‘Obrigado Brazil’. In the recording studio Kathryn has created a large and eclectic body of work including concertos and solo repertoire; of particular note is her recording for Hyperion of the complete solo works by Fauré and the complete Kabalevsky Concertos with the BBC Philharmonic for Chandos.
With a wide-ranging repertoire, Kathryn has maintained a keen interest in contemporary music and has had many works written especially for her. In particular, her close musical relationship with the composer Graham Fitkin has led to 11 World premieres. Her output for the BBC over the years has been vast, performing not only in solo recital but also with all the BBC orchestras including 10 BBC ‘Proms’ at the Albert Hall, including ‘Last Night of the Proms’. Her chamber music partners have included Christian Poltéra, Karen Gomyo, Janine Jansen, Yura Lee, Lars Anders Tomter, Henning Kraggerud, Trul Mørk, Tine Thing Helseth, Alexander Sitkovetsky, Maxim Rysanov, Li-Wei Qin to name but a few.
Kathryn Stott has been the artistic vision behind several major festivals and concert series. ‘Piano 2000’ and ‘Piano 2003’ (Bridgewater Hall, Manchester) established her reputation as an astute programmer; and following the earlier ‘Fauré and the French Connection’ she was appointed Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres by the French Government. From 2009 – 2014 she was Artistic Director of the Manchester Chamber Concerts Society and was Guest Artistic Director of ‘Incontri in Terra di Siena’ in 2010 and 2011. Kathryn has curated two concert series for Leeds International Concerts and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. From 2018-2021, and relished her role as Artistic Director of the Australian Chamber Music Festival which involved programming over 100 works each festival, instigating commissions and bringing together 45 musicians from Australia and the international community.
In 2008 Kathryn celebrated her 50th birthday with 25 musician friends raising £30k for HIV research and Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy. Besides her performing commitments, Kathryn has also been on the Board of the Hallé Orchestra, a position she held for 7 years. More recently, she has been more involved with BBC radio and particularly enjoyed making the documentary ‘Fauré and Me’ on location in Paris last year. In December 2024, Kathryn brought her 46 year performing career to a close. She is looking forwards to having more time to work with young musicians in this exciting new chapter.
Kathryn has taught at the Royal Academy of Music in London, Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo but now completely devotes her teaching activities closer to home at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. She is a teacher with 100% commitment and is very keen to help pianists unlock their potential while working towards finding a fulfilling life in music – that life may ultimately involve the piano or expand into other fields. Kathryn is always ready with guidance on repertoire, self promotion and ways to develop a creative and curious mind.
Kathy Stott has a daughter and a granddaughter, and lives in Manchester. A keen walker in the local countryside, she has also undertaken treks to Nepal, Bhutan and Costa Rica. For relaxation, Kathryn attempts life drawing time to time, and particularly enjoys cooking for friends.
