Simon Callaghan
Professor of Piano
BMus(Hons), PhD, FRSM
Email: [email protected]
Simon Callaghan performs internationally as soloist and chamber musician alongside a distinguished recording career, appearing in the UK’s major concert halls and on tour in Asia, North America and Europe. His recent recording of Sterndale Bennett Concertos with the Royal Northern Sinfonia was a Gramophone Editors’ Choice; Presto Music describes him as “a persuasive advocate of a wealth of under-appreciated repertoire”.
As concerto soloist he has worked with the Ulster Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Sinfonieorchester St Gallen, under conductors including Martyn Brabbins and Jac van Steen. His recital partners include Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Coco Tomita and Raphael Wallfisch, and he is a founding member of the London Piano Quartet.
His discography spans Hyperion, Lyrita, Somm and Nimbus, with four albums in Hyperion’s The Romantic Piano Concerto series and an ongoing series of world premiere British concerto recordings. His first Hyperion disc formed part of his PhD at the RNCM.
Simon is Artistic Director of the Sunday Concerts at Conway Hall, only the sixth incumbent since 1887, and of the Penkhull Festival of Music and Art. In 2026 he was appointed Founding Director of Music at British International Education Korea, developing British conservatoire training in South Korea, and he was elected a Steinway Artist in 2012.
Undergraduate Teaching
Principal study piano tuition
Postgraduate Teaching
Principal study piano tuition
Professional Activity
Recordings
Hawkins, Blake Visions, London Piano Quartet; Piatti Quartet; Michael Trainor; Zahra Benyounes; Jessie Ann Richardson; April Fredrick; Emily Holland; Miguel Sobrinho, Claudio, 2026
Sterndale Bennett, Piano Concertos, Hiroaki Takenouchi; Martin Yates; Royal Northern Sinfonia, Lyrita, SRCD.448, 2026
Dare, Howell, Matthay, Blackwood McEwen, Beauty Veil’d, Berkeley Ensemble; Francesca Barritt; Dan Shilladay; Gemma Wareham; Tom Wraith; Sophie McQueen, EM Records, EMR CD091, 2025
Cannon, Addison, Chagrin, British Piano Concertos 3, BBC National Orchestra of Wales; William Boughton, Lyrita, SRCD.444, 2025
Busch, Chamber Music of William Busch, Ashok Klouda; Jessie Ann Richardson; Zahra Benyounes; Michael Trainor, Lyrita, SRCD.439, 2025
Scott, Cyril Scott Piano Sonata No.1, Lyrita, SRCD.437, 2024
Dring, Howell, Harrison, Danza Gaya, Hiroaki Takenouchi, Lyrita, SRCD.433, 2024
Ligeti, Janáček, Prokofiev, Debussy, Enescu, Traditional, Echoes, Coco Tomita, Orchid Classics, ORC100331, 2024
George Lloyd, Works for Violin & Piano, Ruth Rogers, Lyrita, SRCD.424, 2024
Reinecke, Sauer, Piano Concertos, Sinfonieorchester St. Gallen; Modestas Pitrenas, Hyperion, CDA68429, 2024
Jacob, Addison, Rubbra, British Piano Concertos 2, BBC National Orchestra of Wales; Stephen Bell; George Vass, Lyrita, SRCD.416, 2023
Myaskovsky, Lyadov, Rimsky-Korsakov, Myaskovsky Cello Sonatas, Raphael Wallfisch, CPO, 555420-2, 2023
Reinecke, Piano Concertos, Sinfonieorchester St. Gallen, Hyperion, CDA68339, 2023
Guilmant, Saint-Saëns, Franck, Saint-Saëns Duos For Harmonium and Piano, Miloš Milivojević, Nimbus, NI 8111, 2023
Addison, Benjamin, Maconchy, Searle, Rubbra, Bush, British Piano Concertos, BBC National Orchestra of Wales; Martyn Brabbins, Lyrita, SRCD.407, 2022
Clarke, Busch, Bach, Busch & Clarke Complete Piano Music, Lyrita, SRCD.408, 2022
Rosner, Cooman, Kaleidoscope Sky, London Piano Trio; Robert Atchison; David Jones; Jacqueline Hartley; Elisa Bergersen, Convivium Records, CR067, 2022
Enescu, Poulenc, Boulanger, Hubay, Ravel, Debussy, Origins, Coco Tomita, Orchid Classics, ORC100194, 2022
Parish Alvars, Bochsa, Dussek, Works for two pianos, Clíodna Shanahan, Lyrita, SRCD.411, 2022
Rachmaninoff, Symphony No.2 for two pianos, Hiroaki Takenouchi, Nimbus, NI 8110, 2022
Various composers, Rarities of Piano Music 2021 (Schloss vor Husum), Danacord, DACOCD 939, 2022
Schubert, Works for piano duet, Adrian Farmer, Nimbus, NI 8108, 2022
Vaughan Williams, Complete Works for Violin & Piano, Midori Komachi, MusiKaleido, MKCD002, 2022
Holbrooke, Holbrooke Late Piano Works, Lyrita, SRCD.395, 2021
Walton, Alwyn, Jacob, Leighton, Rawsthorne, Berkeley, British Violin Sonatas, Clare Howick, SOMM Recordings, SOMMCD 0610, 2020
Chopin, Liszt, Chopin & Liszt arranged by Saint-Saëns, Hiroaki Takenouchi, Nimbus, NI 5997, 2020
Blackford, Christmas Dawn, Nimbus, NI 1572, 2020
Coke, Coke Cello Sonatas, Raphael Wallfisch, Lyrita, SRCD.384, 2020
Dyson, Dyson Piano Music, Clíodna Shanahan, SOMM Recordings, SOMMCD 0622-2, 2020
Delius, Scott, Debussy, Ravel, Ireland, Bax, Entente Musicale, Clare Howick, SOMM Recordings, SOMMCD 0625, 2020
Various composers, Rarities of Piano Music 2018 (Schloss vor Husum), Danacord, DACOCD 839, 2020
Poulenc, The Story of Babar, Miriam Margolyes, Nimbus, NI 1571, 2020
Nicodé, Ein Liebesleben and other piano works, Hyperion, CDA68269, 2019
Poulenc, Schumann, Schumann & Poulenc, Nimbus Alliance, NI 1568, 2019
Sherwood, Parry, Works for Two Pianos, Hiroaki Takenouchi, Lyrita, SRCD.368, 2019
Debussy, Decruck, Maurice, Borne, Tableaux de Provence, Dominic Childs, Resonus Classics, RES10231, 2019
Vaughan Williams, Hesketh, Dutilleux, Ravel, The Deeper the Blue…, Janet Sung; Jac van Steen; Britten Sinfonia, SOMM Recordings, SOMMCD 275, 2019
Satie, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Bach, Saint-Saëns, Glière, Massenet, Guastavino, Messiaen, Schumann, Karel Bredenhorst: In Pieces, Karel Bredenhorst, CCM Records, CCMR1801, 2018
Rheinberger, Scholz, Piano Concertos, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra; Ben Gernon, Hyperion, CDA68225, 2018
Musgrave, Thea Musgrave: Phoenix Rising, Nathan Vale; Simon Wallfisch; Hiroaki Takenouchi, Lyrita, SRCD.372, 2018
Coke, Piano Concertos, Martyn Brabbins; BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Hyperion, CDA68173, 2017
Various composers, Rarities of Piano Music 2016 (Schloss vor Husum), Danacord, DACOCD 789, 2017
Clarke, Patterson, Jacob, Moeran, Rawsthorne, Warp & Weft, Midori Komachi; Sophie Rosa, EM Records, EMR CD043, 2017
Strauss, Fauré, Mendelssohn, Duo Verzaro 2017, Karel Bredenhorst, CCM Records, 2017
Brahms, Myaskovsky, Schumann, Chopin, Duo Verzaro 2016, Karel Bredenhorst, CCM Records, 2016
Coke, The Music of Roger Sacheverell Coke, SOMM Recordings, SOMMCD 0147, 2015
Debussy, Delius, Ravel, Grieg, Colours of the Heart, Midori Komachi, MusiKaleido, MKCD001, 2014
Delius, Orchestral Music for Two Pianos Vol II, Hiroaki Takenouchi, SOMM Recordings, SOMMCD 0129, 2013
Brahms, Vivat Brahms!, James Barralet, SOMM Recordings, SOMMCD 0126, 2013
Delius, Orchestral Music for Two Pianos Vol I, Hiroaki Takenouchi, SOMM Recordings, SOMMCD 0112, 2012
Bennett, Thomas Best, Parry, English Piano Works, De Rode Pomp, 2007
