Dame Fanny Waterman occupies a pre-eminent position in the piano teaching world. Born in Leeds, she studied with Tobias Matthay, and later as a Scholar at the Royal College of Music with Cyril Smith. She is co-founder of the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition of which she is Chairman & Artistic Director. For the last thirty years she has been highly sought after as a jury member of international competitions and to give masterclasses worldwide. She has served as Vice President of the World Federation of International Music Competitions and is Vice President of EPTA. In 2010, Dame Fanny was made an Honorary Member of the Royal Philharmonic Society, the Honoured Guest at the Women of the Year Lunch in London and she has been the castaway on Desert Island Discs.

Regarded as one of Britain’s most creative and distinctive pianists, Julian Jacobson performs repertoire ranging from the sonatas of Beethoven to some of the most challenging works of the last century. In 1987 he gave the UK premiere of Ligeti’s Etudes Book One, his subsequent radio recording of which was praised by the composer. Other composers who have written works for him include Stephen Oliver, Robert Saxton, Michael Nyman and Daryl Runswick. In October 2003 he attracted international media coverage for his performance of all 32 Beethoven sonatas in a single day. Julian taught at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Royal Holloway College, and was Head of Keyboard Studies at the Royal Welsh College of Music. He is currently a Professor of Piano at the Royal College of Music, London.

Malcolm Troup studied with Alberto Guerrero and later with Walter Gieseking. His performance of Messiaen’s Vingt Regards Sur L’Enfant Jésus was judged ‘notably perceptive ... with splendid panache’ by the Financial Times. Malcolm Troup has been Director of Music at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and was awarded his own chairmanship at City University. He holds the Commonwealth Medal, an Honorary Doctorate from Memorial University of Newfoundland and the 1998 Liszt Medal from the American Liszt Society. He was Master of the Worshipful Company of Musicians in 1999 and is currently Chairman of the Beethoven Piano Society of Europe and of the European Council of the European Piano Teachers Association (EPTA). Malcolm Troup is the Vice President of Oxford Philomusica Piano Festival and Summer Academy.

Menahem Pressler, founding member and pianist of the Beaux Arts Trio, has established himself among the world’s most distinguished and honoured musicians, with a career that spans over five decades. Now in his 86th year, he continues to captivate audiences throughout the world as performer and pedagogue, performing solo and chamber music recitals to great critical acclaim while maintaining a dedicated and robust teaching career. As illustrious as a teacher as a performer, Professor Pressler has been hailed as “Master Pedagogue” and has had prize-winning students in all of the major international piano competitions, including the Queen Elizabeth, Busoni, Rubenstein, Leeds and Van Cliburn competitions among many others. In addition to teaching his private students at Indiana University, he presents masterclasses throughout the world, and continues to serve on the jury of many major international piano competitions.

Niel Immelman studied with Cyril Smith, Ilona Kabos and Maria Curcio. He was still a student when Bernard Haitink invited him to play Rachmaninov’s Paganini Rhapsody with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. This successful debut was followed by further appearances with the London Philharmonic, the Royal Philharmonic and other major orchestras at the Royal Festival Hall, the Royal Albert Hall and the Amsterdam Concertgebouw. Following his pioneering survey of the complete piano works of Josef Suk, he has recently embarked on a similar series devoted to the output of Vítìslav Novák, also on the Meridian label. Niel Immelman’s teaching career is equally distinguished: he is Professor of Piano at the Royal College of Music and he has given masterclasses in Helsinki, Melbourne, Moscow, Vienna and Warsaw. He regularly serves on juries of international competitions.

Stephen Hough is widely regarded as one of the most important and distinctive pianists of our time. In 2001 he was awarded a prestigious MacArthur Fellowship joining prominent scientists, writers and others who have made unique contributions to contemporary life. Stephen has appeared with most of the major European and American orchestras and plays recitals in major concert series around the world from the Royal Festival Hall to Carnegie Hall. He is a regular guest at festivals such as Salzburg, Tanglewood and the BBC Proms. Recent and upcoming highlights include performances with the Berliner Philharmoniker; the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestras; the Chicago and San Francisco Symphonies, and The Cleveland and Russian National Festival Orchestras. His recordings have garnered four Grammy nominations and eight Gramophone Awards, and he is a noted writer and composer.

Tessa Nicholson studied piano, harpsichord and piano accompaniment at the Royal Academy and Royal College of Music with Lamar Crowson and John Lill, and later in Italy with Maria Tipo and Guido Agosti. She has performed widely in the UK, giving performances at London’s Wigmore Hall and Southbank Centre, and making recordings for BBC Radio 3 and the World Service. Tessa currently teaches at The Royal Academy of Music and at The Purcell School. Her outstanding skills as a teacher are reflected in the numerous successes of her students – winning many prizes at national and international level, and performing at such prestigious venues as The Royal Festival Hall, Cadogan Hall and Regent’s Hall. Tessa Nicholson combines her teaching career with regular performances at home and abroad.