Clare Hammond

Acclaimed as a pianist of “amazing power and panache” (The Telegraph), Clare Hammond is recognised for the virtuosity and authority of her performances and has developed a “reputation for brilliantly imaginative concert programmes” (BBC Music Magazine). In 2016, she won the Royal Philharmonic Society’s ‘Young Artist Award’ in recognition of outstanding achievement and in 2020 she was engaged to perform at the International Piano Series (Southbank Centre) and the Aldeburgh Festival. Performances during the pandemic included a live recital broadcast for BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concerts from St David’s Cardiff, recitals at Snape Maltings for Aldeburgh Music, and a broadcast of Carwithen’s piano concerto with the BBC Concert Orchestra (Gavin Sutherland). During the 2020-21 season, Clare was engaged to perform with the Britten Sinfonia (Ryan Wigglesworth), Sinfonia Varsovia (Jacek Kaspszyk), Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Christoph Altstaedt) and the BBC Symphony Orchestra (Dalia Stasevska). In recent seasons, Clare has performed Hesketh with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (Vasily Petrenko), Panufnik with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra (Jacek Kaspszyk), Roxburgh with the BBC Symphony Orchestra (Michael Seal), and Connesson with the Philharmonia (Jamie Phillips). She gave the world premiere of Uncoiling The River by Kenneth Hesketh with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales (Martyn Brabbins) and released the Complete Keyboard Works of Myslivecek with the Swedish Chamber Orchestra (Nicholas McGegan) for BIS Records in 2019. Clare’s discs for BIS have been widely praised with her latest, Variations, receiving extensive critical approval. Gramophone described her as a “pianist of extraordinary gifts”, The Times as a “player of immense power, tightly harnessed now to the moment’s expressive needs” and Crescendo (Belgium) hailed her as “one of the most exploratory pianistic personalities of our time”. The disc was commended for its “shimmering pianism and lightly-worn virtuosity” (BBC Music Magazine) and “artistry of the highest order” (Musical Opinion). Clare’s discography includes world premiere recordings of over twenty works. Clare completed a BA at Cambridge University, where she obtained a double first in music, and undertook postgraduate study with Ronan O’Hora at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama.