C. Bechstein Recital Series with Victor Lim & Kathryn Stott

We are pleased to announce for our June recital, we will be joined by Victor Lim & Kathryn Stott who will be treating us to a wonderful evening of Haydn, Chopin, Adès and Rachmaninoff in our C. Bechstein Centre Manchester recital series!

Please note, we now charge a small fee for recital tickets, priced at £7 each or £5 for students (proof of ID required). To support and show thanks for their time and expertise, the majority of the ticket fee will be paid to the performer(s). All guests will receive a complimentary glass of prosecco/non-alcoholic alternative on arrival.

Tickets are limited, so if you would like to attend please call us on 0161 527 7677 and have a debit/credit card to hand. Alternatively, you can book online via Eventbrite, however, please note a booking fee is payable. Please allow at least 48 hours' notice to cancel your tickets. As a matter of policy, we cannot issue a refund after this time. If you need to cancel, please call and speak to a staff member. 

Doors are at 6:15 pm with the recital to begin at 6:30 pm and end at 7:30 pm. 

The programme includes:

Haydn - Piano Sonata in C major, Hob.XVI:50

Chopin - Mazurka in A minor, Op.17 No.4

Thomas Adès - Three Mazurkas, Op.27

Rachmaninoff - Symphonic Dances for two pianos Op.45 with Kathryn Stott

About Victor

Described as a pianist ‘with great possibilities of nuance and perfect flexibility’ (Revista Arta), South Korean-British pianist Victor Lim is establishing himself as one of the most versatile and creative young musicians in the UK. Following his first public appearance in the televised 2012 BBC

Young Musician of the Year, Victor has performed throughout the UK and worldwide. Victor is a City Music Foundation Artist, Making Music UK’s Philip and Dorothy Green Young Artist and the winner of the 2021 RNCM Gold Medal.

Victor’s broad repertoire and interest in new music has led to recent work with Thomas Adès, Graham Fitkin and Stephen Hough. His affinity with the music of Beethoven has been recognised by two awards from the Beethoven Piano Society of Europe, whilst he also has a great personal passion for the works of Robert Schumann. He has recently performed with Manchester Collective, Manchester Camerata and Royal Northern Sinfonia, and will give a performance of Graham Fitkin’s ‘Granite’ with BBC Philharmonic in September 2023.

In addition to his performing career, Victor is the Head of Keyboard Studies at Rossall School and works closely with Olympias Music Foundation and Fingertips ASBL. Victor is also the Associate Artist of International Young Musicians Academy and a Leverhulme Fellow of Pro Corda. Victor studied at Wells Cathedral School, Royal Northern College of Music, Royal Academy of Music and Norwegian Academy of Music where his teachers have included John Byrne, Richard Ormrod, Graham Scott, Jeremy Young, Murray Mclachlan and Kathryn Scott.

About Kathryn

"At the age of five, I made friends with the upright piano in our living room. That was the beginning of my musical journey, one which continues as you read this. It would appear that my initial progress was rapid and by the age of eight, I found myself at a boarding school for young musicians, the Yehudi Menuhin School. During my studies there, it is now clear to me that I was heavily influenced by two occasional visitors to the school; Nadia Boulanger and Vlado Perlmuter. From them, my great passion for French music was ignited and Fauré in particular has remained the musical love of my life.

Further studies at the Royal College of Music in London then led me very abruptly into the life of a professional musician via the Leeds International Piano Competition. It remains the steepest learning curve I have ever experienced. After a rollercoaster three years, I realised that I needed to re-connect with chamber music in a bid to feel more connected to other musicians and after all, this had played an important part of my musical existence since being a child.

When, quite by chance, I met Yo-Yo Ma in 1978, it turned out to be one of the most fortuitous moments of my life. Since 1985, we have enjoyed a collaboration which has taken us to so many fascinating parts of the world and led to musical adventures with musicians who shared so much from their own traditions. I have always considered us to be intrepid musical explorers on our own individual paths but with an incredible bond that unites us on the creative highway.

I very much enjoy the challenge involved in bringing musicians together with exciting programming at its core. Most recently, I was the Artistic Director of the Australian Festival of Chamber Music and working with artists on such a huge geographical scale, was fascinating. My love of curating and directing began in 1995 and since then I have brought to life many of my ideas in events lasting anything from long weekends to two weeks. I continue to push my capacity for exploring music I know nothing about and love bringing together unusual combinations whenever possible.

There are too many highlights in my career to mention. Yes, it was a thrill to perform at the Last Night of the Proms to millions around the world, but equally a massive thrill to have lit up twenty small faces in an inner-city school while they jumped up and down to energetic piano music! Working with young musicians is something I feel passionate about and presently teach at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. I have also had some truly exciting music written for me and enjoyed a particularly close collaboration with composer Graham Fitkin. What an unbelievable privilege it is to be immersed in a language which has no boundaries and has allowed me to share musical stories on a global scale; that little upright piano set me on quite a path! Talking of paths – I have also been found trekking in Nepal, Costa Rica, Bhutan or walking my spaniel Archie on the Yorkshire Moors. The journey continues." 

- Kathryn Stott - kathrynstott.com