Kathryn Stott facts for kids
Kathryn Stott (born 10 December 1958) is a famous English classical pianist. She performs as a solo artist, plays in recitals, and performs with small groups of musicians (called chamber musicians). She is especially good at playing English and French classical music, new music written today, and tango music. Kathryn is also a professor at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. She has helped organize many music festivals and concert series.
People describe Kathryn Stott's playing as "full of life and very personal." The Times newspaper called her "one of the most flexible pianists around."
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Early Life and Learning Music
Kathryn Stott was born in Nelson, Lancashire. Her mother was a piano teacher, so Kathryn started learning piano when she was just five years old.
She went to the Yehudi Menuhin School, a special music school. There, she learned from famous teachers like Nadia Boulanger and Vlado Perlemuter. Later, she studied at the Royal College of Music with Kendall Taylor.
Performing and Recording Music
Kathryn's career as a solo pianist really took off after she placed fifth in the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition in 1978. Her first big concert in London was in the same year at the Purcell Room.
Since then, she has traveled all over Europe, Asia, America, and Australia. She plays many different types of music, including concertos (music for a solo instrument with an orchestra), solo piano pieces, and chamber music (music for a small group of instruments). It's quite unusual, but she always performs by reading from the music score! She has played a lot for the BBC, including 10 concerts at the Royal Albert Hall's famous 'Proms' series.
Favourite Music Styles
Kathryn loves English music and is very interested in new music. Many composers have even written pieces just for her! She has made excellent recordings of music by English composers like Frank Bridge and William Walton.
She also has a special love for French music, especially the works of Gabriel Fauré. She has recorded all of Fauré's piano music, and critics have praised her for it. Playing contemporary classical music (music written recently) is another of Kathryn's special talents. She has performed many new pieces for the very first time. This includes a concerto by Peter Maxwell Davies and The Piano Concerto by Michael Nyman.
Since the mid-1990s, Kathryn has also become very interested in tango and other Latin dance music. She describes tango as "raw music, hard to put into a box, both rough and gentle."
Working with Other Musicians
Kathryn first met the famous American cellist Yo-Yo Ma in 1978. She came home from holiday and found "a Chinese man playing the cello" in her flat! Yo-Yo Ma had rented the flat from her flatmate, violinist Nigel Kennedy, without knowing it was shared.
Kathryn and Yo-Yo Ma have been working together since 1985. They often tour together and have made several recordings. Their albums Soul of the Tango and Obrigado Brazil even won Grammy Awards in 1999 and 2004! In 2020, Kathryn helped create their album Songs of Comfort and Hope. This album was a musical way to respond to the challenges of the pandemic. She also works closely with cellist Christian Poltéra, trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth, and pianist Noriko Ogawa.
Organizing Music Events
Kathryn Stott has been the artistic director for many big music festivals and concert series. This means she plans and organizes the performances.
In 1995, she organized a Fauré festival in Manchester to celebrate 150 years since the composer's birth. People said her energy and wonderful performances made the event very special. Because of the festival's success, the French government gave her a special award, making her a Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
Piano Festivals
She also led two big piano festivals at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester in 2000 and 2003. She is known for being very smart at planning events. Kathryn believes it's important to "let people play" at these events. So, both festivals had Steinway grand pianos that the public could try out. They also had fun, unusual pianos, like a red "Ferrari" Steinway, a piano that was "exploded" to show its inside parts, and even a concert grand piano with a pool that made watery sounds!
In 1998, Kathryn directed a concert series called "Out of the Shadows." It featured two important female composers who were not as well known: Clara Schumann and Fanny Mendelssohn. She also directed other series, including "Chopin: The Music and the Legacy" and "Paris." From 2018 to 2020, she was the Artistic Director of the Australian Festival of Chamber Music. In this role, she planned over 100 pieces of music for each festival, asked composers to write new music, and brought together 45 musicians from around the world.
Teaching Music
Kathryn Stott is a Professor at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. She helps teach and inspire the next generation of musicians.
About Her Life
Kathryn Stott lives in Manchester. She has a daughter named Lucy and loves spending time in the countryside with her working cocker spaniel, Archie. You can find more information at www.kathrynstott.com.
Recent Recordings
- 2020 Songs of Comfort and Hope with Yo-Yo Ma (SONY Classical)
- 2020 Schumann and Brahms with Christian Poltera (BIS)
- 2015 Arc of Life (Bach, Debussy, Sollima) with Yo-Yo Ma (SONY)
- 2015 Solitaires (Ravel, Messiaen etc.) (BIS)
- 2013 Tine with Tine Thing-Helseth (EMI)
- 2013 Barber Cello Concerto with Christian Poltera (BIS)
- 2012 Korngold Piano Quintet with Doric String Quartet (CHAN)
