Alasdair Beatson coaches the Paddington Trio
Mozart Trio in G Major, K. 496
The Long Gallery, Lauderdale House
Free to Observe
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Tuulia Hero - violin
Patrick Moriarty - cello
Stephanie Tang - piano
The Paddington Trio has quickly emerged as a unique and versatile ensemble. Hailed for their “nuanced and powerful performance” (ROSL News, 18 March 2022), the trio recently won first prize in the 70th Royal Over-Seas League Competition for Strings and Piano Ensemble.
Committed to thoughtfully curated programming, as well as passionate advocates of new classical music, the Paddington Trio was the first prize winner at the NEW FORMATS Project Prize 2022 in Graz, Austria. In 2021, they won 2nd prize and the jury prize for the Best Interpretation of an Estonian Work at the Tallinn International Piano Chamber Music Competition as well as 1st prize at the Clara Schumann International Competition.
Their recent performances include concerts at St Mary’s Perivale, Southwark Cathedral, Music-at-Hill Midtown Concert Series, Westminster Music Library and the Milton Court Concert Hall. Upcoming concert highlights in 2022 include Wigmore Hall concerts in May and July, the Otaniemi Chapel Summer Concert Series in Finland and the Creative Oundle International Festival in the UK.
Having benefited from regular tuition with Adrian Brendel and Caroline Palmer at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the trio has received coaching and mentoring from other esteemed chamber musicians, such as Levon Chilingirian, David Dolan, Matthew Jones, Robert Levin, David Waterman, Andrew Watkinson, Marko Ylönen, Terhi Paldanius and Ronan O’Hora. Most recently the trio worked intensively with Thomas Adés at the IMS Prussia Cove’s 50th anniversary.
Having first arrived separately from Finland (Tuulia Hero, violin), Ireland (Patrick Moriarty, cello) and the USA (Stephanie Tang, piano), the young trio seeks to build a safe haven of chamber music and friendship curated for changing times and audiences.
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Scottish pianist Alasdair Beatson works prolifically as soloist and chamber musician, adept on modern and historical instruments, and renowned as both performer and pedagogue. Notable performances in 2022/23 include regular appearances at Wigmore Hall, in concert with Steven Isserlis, Viktoria Mullova, the Doric and Maxwell string quartets, as member of the Nash Ensemble, and in festivals including Cheltenham, Ernen, Festivalta, Lewes, O/Modernt, Resonances, Spitalfields and Yellowbarn.
Alasdair is acclaimed as a sincere musician and intrepid programmer. Alongside a particular affinity with the classical repertoire and the music of Schumann and Fauré, he often explores the more exotic: Catoire, Pierné, Thuille; Debussy’s Jeux (in the composer’s arrangement for solo piano); Ligeti Horn Trio, Harrison Birtwistle’s Harrison’s Clocks; and Thomas Adès Piano Quintet. His concerto repertoire includes works of Bach, Bartok, Fauré, Hans Abrahamsen, Hindemith, Mozart, Sally Beamish, Stravinsky, and Messiaen. In recent years he has appeared with Britten Sinfonia, Moscow Virtuosi, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Scottish Ensemble, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Sønderjyllands Symphony Orchestra and Vaasa City Orchestra.
Recent recordings include Schubert works for violin and fortepiano with Viktoria Mullova on Signum, and a solo piano recital Aus Wien on Pentatone. These join an acclaimed discography of numerous solo and chamber recordings, on modern and historical pianos, on BIS, Claves, Champs Hill, Evil Penguin, Onyx, Pentatone and SOMM labels.
A regular participant at the open chamber music at IMS Prussia Cove, Alasdair took part in their tours of 2007, 2011, and 2021, and collected the 2008 RPS Award for Chamber Music on their behalf. He has enjoyed working closely with composers George Benjamin, Harrison Birtwistle, Tom Coult, Cheryl Frances-Hoad, Thomas Larcher, and Heinz Holliger. Future plans include the first performances of a new piano concerto, written for him by Helena Winkelman.
Alasdair was a student of John Blakely at the Royal College of Music, London, and Menahem Pressler at Indiana University. He teaches solo piano at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, and regularly mentors for the London-based Chamber Studio. From 2012 to 2018 Alasdair was founder and artistic director of Musique à Marsac, and since 2018 is the artistic director of the chamber music festival at Musikdorf Ernen in Switzerland.