In memory of Hester Dickson, Malcolm Martineau’s mother and founding staff pianist on the course, this prize now covers full course fees for a student pianist to work alongside our experienced staff, playing for classes and rehearsals as required.
2024 recipient of the prize:
Hugh Rowlands is a freelance pianist and organist based in London. He is a graduate of Cambridge University, and a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists. Alongside his freelance work, he is Deputy Director of Music at Haileybury College, and from April 2024, Assistant Master of Music at HM Chapels Royal, Tower of London. Hugh was organ scholar at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge from 2018, simultaneously holding the organ scholarship for King’s Voices. Between 2017–2018 he was organ scholar at the Royal Hospital Chelsea. He has recorded on the SOMM and Albion labels, and has performed across Europe, the USA, Malaysia and Singapore. He has worked with the early music ensemble Alamire appearing alongside the group as soloist and accompanist at the Tage Alter Musik Festival, Regensburg.
As a solo recitalist he has performed at Westminster Abbey, Westminster Cathedral, Southwark Cathedral, St Albans Cathedral, St George’s Chapel Windsor, as well as in Cambridge and Oxford. He has collaborated with the London Contemporary Orchestra at London’s Union Chapel, and the Icelandic duo Jònsi and Alex, with the LCO, at London’s Barbican Centre and the Paris Philharmonie. A regular member of the James McVinnie ensemble, performing with the group at the Barbican, Saffron Hall and at Bold Tendencies, Peckham. As an accompanist he has performed at Wigmore Hall and Milton Court and is currently studying for a Master’s degree in Collaborative Piano at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, with a cholarship.
Previous recipients of the previous duo prize include:
2023 Derry Jasiulionis, Tenor (no duo partner)
2022 Rachel Ridout, Soprano and Ilan Kurtser, Accompanist
2021 Course cancelled due to pandemic
2020 Course cancelled due to pandemic
2019 Rose Stachniewska, Soprano and Marianna Abrahamyan, Accompanist
2018 Ted Black, Tenor and Rachel Fright, Accompanist
2017 Sinead O’Kelly, Mezzo-soprano and Fionnuala Ward, Accompanist
2016 Andrew Randall, Baritone and Bernard Tan, Accompanist