Callum McLachlan, piano

Praised for his “... magical sense of colour and extraordinary technical prowess….”, pianist Callum McLachlan was a finalist of the 8th Schumann Competition Zwickau and semi-finalist at both the Leeds and Santander International Piano Competitions. His performances at the Leeds competition earned him plaudits for his ability to “...captivate audiences with his profound musicality and virtuosic performances…” and were broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 and Medici.tv.

He was the only British pianist selected for the 17th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, and in May 2026, Callum was selected to join the roster of the Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT) at the YCAT live final auditions at Wigmore Hall.

A student of Professor Kirill Gerstein at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin, Callum has recently made debuts at Klavier-Festival Ruhr, Yamaha Hall (Tokyo), Lake District Summer Music and Menton International Music Festival. In 2024 he made his debut with Staatsphilharmonie Nürnberg and John Fiore, performed the Swiss premiere of Eric Tanguy's Piano Quartet for Classeek, and was invited for Solo Recitals at Verdi Hall Milan and Bechstein Hall London.

A finalist of the Royal Over-Seas League Piano Competition in London and nominee for theInternational Classical Music Classeek Award, Callum has performed across the UK, Europe, and the USA, with appearances at venues including the Meistersingerhalle Nürnberg, Laeiszhalle Hamburg, Wien Konzerthaus, Pereda Hall (Santander), Leeds Great Hall, Bridgewater Hall, and Stoller Hall.

He is an active chamber musician, having collaborated with renowned ensembles such as the Casals Quartet and Kaleidoscope Ensemble, and regularly performs with Queen Elisabeth Laureate cellist Jeremias Fliedl. In February 2027 he will make his Australian debut at the Bendigo Chamber Music Festival. 

In previous seasons, he made concerto debuts at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, with the Sheffield Chamber Orchestra, and performed Liszt’s Second Piano Concerto with Paul Mann at the RNCM Concert Hall and again at Turner Sims Concert Hall in Southampton. He also performed chamber arrangements of concertos with students from the Royal College of Music in London. He receives frequent re-engagements at leading UK venues and festivals. In 2019, he made his New York recital debut to critical acclaim and recorded Beethoven’s Pathétique Sonata at the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg in collaboration with G. Henle Verlag for the Beethoven 250 celebrations.

Callum was born into a family of musicians and began piano lessons with his father at age seven. He entered Chetham’s School of Music at age eleven, studying with Dina Parakhina, and was later awarded the highest diploma from Trinity College London (FTCL). He completed his Bachelor’s degree with Professor Claudius Tanski at the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg, then pursued further studies in Salzburg and Cologne with Jacques Rouvier and Claudio Martínez Mehner. He has worked in masterclasses with distinguished artists including Stephen Kovacevich, Leif Oves Andsnes, Christopher Elton, Grigory Gruzman, Andrei Gavrilov, Stephen Hough, and Boris Berman.

He is a prizewinner of numerous competitions, including First Prize at the Welsh International Piano Competition, the Scottish International Piano Competition, and the RNCM Chopin Prize.