Former King’s School pupil and acclaimed musician Christian Blackshaw was awarded an MBE in the New Year’s Honours List.
Classical pianist Christian Blackshaw is among the 1,148 people to be given honours this year in a list which also includes authors Philip Pullman and Margaret Atwood, Violinist Nicola Benedetti and Downton Abbey actor Jim Carter.
Christian is celebrated for the incomparable musicianship of his performances. His playing combines tremendous emotional depth with great understanding.
Following studies with Gordon Green at the Royal College Manchester and Royal Academy London, winning the gold medals at each, he was the first British pianist to study at the Leningrad Conservatoire with Moisei Halfin. He later worked closely with Sir Clifford Curzon in London.
He has performed worldwide and in festivals as recitalist and soloist with many renowned conductors including Valery Gergiev, Sir Simon Rattle, Gianandrea Noseda, Yuri Temirkanov and Sir Neville Marriner. He is also joint Artistic Director of the Hellensmusic Festival which was established in 2013.
His hugely acclaimed Wigmore Hall complete Mozart Piano Sonatas series was recorded for Wigmore Hall Live and released in four volumes. Critics have been unanimous in their praise, describing these “landmark” recordings as “captivating”, “magical” and “masterful”. Volume 4 was named as one of the Best Classical Recordings of 2015 in the New York Times in addition to Gramophone Magazine's Top 50 Greatest Mozart Recordings.
Recent notable performances include the Mozart cycle in Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing, a return to the Stars of the White Nights Festival, St. Petersburg and a debut recital at the Schwetzingen Festival.