John Lenehan

With more than 70 albums to his credit, reflecting an enormous variety of genres and styles, John Lenehan ranks as one of the most versatile pianists on the classical scene today. Praised by the New York Times for his “great flair and virtuosity” and the (London) Times – “a masterly recital”, John Lenehan has appeared in concerts throughout the World from Abu Dhabi to Zurich and from Aberdeen to Zimbabwe. As a soloist he has appeared with orchestras such as the London Symphony at the Barbican and the Royal Philharmonic in the Royal Albert Hall. John Lenehan has also collaborated with some of the leading instrumentalists of our time and is recognised as an outstanding and versatile chamber musician.

His many recordings include piano recitals and concertos as well as duo sonatas, chamber music and jazz. His four-disc survey of John Ireland’s piano music received great critical acclaim including a Gramophone award. His other solo recordings include three discs for Sony Classical of minimalist piano works and a disc of Erik Satie (for Classic FM). Most recently he has recorded albums with Huw Wiggin, Tasmin Little and the Rossetti Ensemble as well as concertos by Mozart (K.467) and Beethoven (Emperor) with the National Symphony Orchestra.

John Lenehan also composes, with works published by Faber, Novello and Schotts. His Fantasy on Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker has recently been recorded by the Budapest Symphony Orchestra. He has written and arranged for a long list of soloists and orchestras including Nigel Kennedy, Tasmin Little, Nicola Benedetti, Leonidas Kavakos and Yuja Wang, the BBC Concert Orchestra, RPO and Hong Kong Philharmonic. His interest in the combination of music and film has been long-standing. As director of “Sounds for Silents” he has written and arranged more than 20 film scores, which were performed throughout the UK in Festivals such as Aldeburgh, Cheltenham, Brighton and Harrogate as well as in Italy, Germany, Norway and Australia. He continues to present film and music programmes, reviving the art of the improvising pianist – the most recent including the silent films of Laurel and Hardy.