Sibbe Live!: Piano Evening
23.04.2025 19:00 – 20:00
Standard price 15€ + order fee (from 1,50 € + 0,65 % of the order)
Students/ pensioners/ children 12€ + order fee (from 1,50 € + 0,65 % of the order)
Elizabeth Altman, piano
Programme
Frédéric Chopin
Ballade No 1 op 23
Ludwig van Beethoven
Sonata in C minor Op 111
Agnes Tschetschulin
Stemmingbillade
Jean Sibelius
Study Op 76 No 2
Frédéric Chopin
Scherzo no 2 Op 31
ELIZABETH ALTMAN
Elizabeth’s talent was early recognised when she made her concert debut at the age of 5. She went on in her young teens to represent her home city of Leeds in a major BBC TV Series. Later on, she performed Mozart and Beethoven concertos for BBC TV as well as broadcasting the first performance of Thomas Pitfield’s Piano Concerto.
Following success in the last BBC Piano Competition, the forerunner of the BBC ‘Young Musician of the Year’, the Daily Telegraph, a foremost English newspaper, singled out the ‘rare distinction’ of her playing and the Arts Council of England promoted her London South Bank debut at the Queen Elizabeth Hall to critical acclaim. She has since toured the UK in concerts and major festivals including Aldeburgh, Suffolk, and Leeds.
In 1990, returning to concertising from time at home with young family, she became musical and artistic director of English Camerata, Yorkshire’s professional touring chamber ensemble. Under her direction they have received enthusiastic support from both audiences and critics with numerous concerts in the region’s festivals and concert series and in national tours, thanks to several major sponsorships. Her Mozart, including concertos directed from the keyboard, has drawn high praise.
During this time, she founded, in the North East of England, 3 Concerts Societies to bring the best of music and musicians to an area with hitherto little professional classical chamber music opportunities for listeners.
Elizabeth has always cherished the piano chamber music repertoire. She is the musical director of the English Camerata Soloists’ annual International Chamber Music Course which attracts international amateur musicians of serious ability. The 2024 course was at the Purcell School, in Hertfordshire, north of London, as will be the eagerly awaited 2025 event. The Course also displays her particular talent as a teacher of piano and of chamber music to the highest standard and people from all over the UK and Europe, from the USA and from Hong Kong came in August to enjoy as well as learn about playing this wonderful repertoire, coached by experts including Elizabeth and acclaimed string and wind instrumentalists. The event is the leading one of its kind.
Elizabeth played in Finland in both 2019 and 2020, when she gave recitals in Naantali. During these visits, she also coached instrumental ensembles in a wide range of piano chamber music repertoire.
Elizabeth returns in April 2025 and is delighted to be playing in the Sibelius Museum; and once again there will be chamber music masterclasses during her visit.
She has been honoured by the Royal Academy of Music, in London, for her distinguished contribution to the music profession.
Elizabeth is married to a now-retired judge and the family lives in London.