Recital: Zacharias Brandman – piano

The Programme

Zacharias Brandman – piano

Polonaise-fantaisie in A♭ Major, Op 61

Images Book 1, L110
Reflets dans l’eau

Études-tableaux, Op 39 No 2 in A Minor

Sonata reminiscenza, Op 38 No 1 in A minor

The Artist

Zacharias Brandman is a 20-year-old British classical pianist currently studying Classics at the University of St Andrews. Previously, Zach attended Guildhall School of Music & Drama where he studied with Ronan O’Hora, and Westminster School where he was a music scholar. Zach has performed in concert halls in the UK and Europe and Asia. He is an international competition prize winner and was awarded Young Musician of the Year at the Stratford Music Festival 2020. In Spring 2019, Zach was appointed as Musician in Residence at St Mark’s English Church in Florence. At the age of 16, Zach was awarded the Una Clark Young Artist Jellinek award and was selected to perform Schumann’s piano concerto in A minor, with the Guildford Symphony Orchestra.

Zacharias began learning the piano at the age of six; at the age of eight he was selected to appear with Lang Lang at the Royal Festival Hall and at nine he first performed with orchestra. He was awarded first Prize in the Grand Prize Virtuoso International Competition, third prize in the New Stars International Music Competition and third prize at the Young Pianist of the North International competition. Since then, Zach has performed in a number of major concert venues, most recently at the official opening of the Laidlaw music centre, St Andrews. Previous concerts include performances at Cadogan Hall, St John’s Smith Square, Royal Albert Hall, Jacqueline du Pré building, the Britten Theatre, the Duke’s Hall at the Royal Academy of Music and at Pushkin House, London where he performed an all-Russian program for a memorial event commemorating the life and work of Russian philosopher Lev Shestov. In 2018, he was shortlisted for the Royal Philharmonic Society Duet prize. In November 2019, Zach was selected by the Zubin Mehta foundation to perform a recital at the NCPA in Mumbai for the Rising Stars concert series.

In his musical education, Zacharias has been invited to take part in a number of masterclasses with renowned pianists Stephen Kovacevic and Murray Maclachlan, with whom Zacharias performed Mozart’s sonata for two pianos in D major. “Full of romantic warmth, virtuosity and generosity of spirit”, “stylish and engaging,” are some of the comments from leading adjudicators in the UK.