James Conway – cello
William Bracken – piano

The Programme

James Conway – cello
William Bracken – piano

Cello Sonata
i. Moderato
ii. Vivace, molto leggiero
iii. Adagio
iv. Allegro

Cello Sonata No 4 in C major, Op 102 No 1
I. Andante – Allegro vivace
II. Adagio – Tempo d’andante – Allegro vivace

The Artists

Pianist William Bracken’s creative voice stems from a deep fluency with the language of music itself, dissolving musical boundaries through improvisational state of mind, curiosity and acute contextual awareness. A visionary musician with a vast repertoire of classical masterworks, contemporary works and equally at home in jazz and improvised music, the Wirral-born pianist has won numerous international awards and currently holds a position as a member of teaching staff in the Centre for Creative Performance and Classical Improvisation at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. He is the recent founder and artistic director of Port Sunlight International Piano Festival. Concert highlights include recitals at Carnegie’s Weill Hall in New York and Wigmore Hall in London where he was praised by the Telegraph for possessing “an ability to hold an audience in the palm of his hand”. He is also a core member of the improvisation group Ensemble+ and bandleader of the Will Bracken trio.

James Conway is a Fellow at the Guildhall School. Whilst at studying at Guildhall for a Master’s, he won Aboyne Young Artist as part of Deeside Cello Project in Scotland. Previously studying at the Royal Northern College of Music under Nicholas Trygstad, James was given the Leonard Rose Award for Cello and won the opportunity to work with BBC Philharmonic on their Professional Experience Scheme. He was a member of the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, working with musicians including Christoph Eschenbach, Sir Mark Elder and Steven Isserlis. James also studied at the Royal College of Music Junior Department and was awarded the Esther Coleman Prize.