Saturday February 13th 2027, 7:30pm
Claude Debussy: Cello Sonata
Isang Yun: Espace I
Leoš Janáček: Pohádka
Gabriel Fauré: Romance and Papillon
Harrison Birtwistle: Lied ohne Worte
Sergey Prokofiev: Cello Sonata
Scottish cellist Hugh Mackay is lauded as a deeply expressive and intelligent recitalist, soloist, chamber musician and orchestral leader, recognised for performances that combine strong narrative programming with direct, communicative playing. He has performed in major European venues, including Wigmore Hall, the Elbphilharmonie, Konzerthaus Dortmund, and the Palace of Versailles. He is increasingly sought after for projects that pair core repertoire with contemporary music in thoughtfully curated programmes.
A central focus of Hugh’s recent work has been his duo partnership with Junyan Chen, with whom he has presented recital programmes across the UK and Europe. In 2024, the duo undertook an extended recital tour in Scotland, performing programmes that paired Shostakovich, Debussy and Rachmaninoff with contemporary sonatas by Sally Beamish and Fazıl Say, later recording Say’s sonata Four Cities. Together, they made their recital debut at Bridgewater Hall in 2023.
Hugh is regularly invited to international chamber music festivals and series, performing at the Open Chamber Music seminars at IMS Prussia Cove, Grachtenfestival Amsterdam, West Wycombe Chamber Music Festival, NUME Festival, and the Schiermonnikoog Festival, where he was awarded the Audience Prize and subsequently re-invited. He has collaborated with artists such as Lawrence Power, Marc Bouchkov, Boris Kusnezow, Charlotte Spruit, and members of the Doric String Quartet, and is currently a chamber music scholar at Villa Musica Landesstiftung in Germany, performing alongside world-leading musicians and emerging artists. He is a founding member of the piano quartet Ensemble Jackalope, Young Artists in Residence at Britten-Pears Arts in 2026.
Alongside his duo work, Hugh maintains a strong solo profile. He was a semi-finalist at the 2024 International Bach Competition in Leipzig, and his solo recital programmes frequently centre around Bach’s cello suites, often paired with 20th- or 21st-century repertoire such as Kodály’s Solo Sonata. His interest in programme design extends beyond repertoire alone: recent projects have included a curated concert inspired by Rilke’s Liebeslied, bringing together music by Purcell, Birtwistle, Demenga and Schoenberg.
Born in the Scottish Borders, Hugh studied at St Mary’s Music School, Edinburgh, and at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he held the Yadegar-Hall Award and won a prestigious LSO Conservatoire Scholarship. He has received awards such as the Suggia Gift and Dewar Arts Award, and scholarships from the Cross Trust, Caird Trust, Countess of Munster Trust and Help Musicians UK.
Rapidly developing a reputation as one of the most innovative pianists of his generation, Julian Chan has given performances at numerous prestigious venues across Europe and Asia, including Wigmore Hall, Southbank Centre, Nanjing Poly Theatre, and Palau de la Música Catalana. Performing music by a particularly diverse range of composers, he has given alluring recitals featuring works by figures from Sweelinck to Messiaen, from Alkan to Rzewski, unifying these various styles in a captivating manner.
Julian has performed with numerous artists of international renown, including Anthony Marwood, John Myerscough, Dénes Várjon, Richard Lester, Dale Barltrop, and Charlie Lovell-Jones; distinguished conductors with whom he has performed, both as a soloist and as part of the acclaimed Manson Ensemble, include Jessica Cottis, Dominic Grier, Ryan Wigglesworth, Ben Glassberg, Jonathan Berman, and John Gibbons.
Recently, Julian has been awarded First Prize and Sonata Prize at the Nanyang International Music Competition, Singapore, Second Prize at the Jazeps Vitols International Piano Competition, Latvia, the Royal Over-Seas League Collaborative Piano Award, First Prize at the Norah Sande Award, and First Prize at the Coulsdon and Purley Festival with his performance of Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto.
A passionate composer and performer of new music, Julian has collaborated with eminent composers such as Hans Abrahamsen, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Jörg Widmann, Deborah Pritchard, Elena Langer, and Peter Seabourne.
In 2024–25, Julian was recipient of the Aud Jebsen Fellowship at the Royal Academy of Music, where he studied with Ian Fountain and Michael Dussek. He is graciously supported by the Royal Over-Seas League and the Keyboard Charitable Trust. Julian had his first book of compositions published at age 6, earning him the title of Malaysia’s Youngest Composer.