Trustee
Date of appointment: January 1, 2025
Term End Year: January 1, 2025
Member Biography
A multidisciplinary classical pianist of Nigerian-Filipino ancestry, Adam Heron is the winner of the 2020 Harriet Cohen Bach Prize. Born in Hong Kong, then adopted by his Irish mother, Adam rose to prominence following his 2018 television debut as a BBC Young Musician piano finalist. Through his unique artistry, coupled with an innate flair for communication, he strives to become a leading ambassador for classical music. Adam commands a demanding schedule of international recital engagements, having already performed at distinguished venues including Wigmore Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields, and Southbank Centre. A keen linguist and traveller, his artistic endeavours have led to appearances in far-flung concert halls including the International Center for Arts in Cairo as well as the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Mumbai. Festival collaborations include The Aegean Arts International Festival, The Cayman Arts Festival, The Cheltenham Music Festival, and The GAP Arts Festival. Adam frequently engages with headlining media outlets such as BBC Radio 3 in addition to specialist broadcasters such as Colourful Radio, and he has worked alongside leading presenters including Katie Derham and Sean Rafferty. In addition to his solo career, Adam is also a devoted collaborative pianist, composer, and conductor. He has joined forces with numerous fellow musicians including saxophonist Amy Dickson, double-bassist Chi-chi Nwanoku CBE, violinist Daniel Pioro, soprano Francesca Chiejina, and cellist Laura van der Heijden. In 2016 Adam became one of the first ever concerto soloists to perform with the Chineke! Orchestra, and he has since worked with esteemed conductors including Jonathon Heyward, David Curtis, Dwight Pile-Gray, Pete Harrison, and Timothy Carey. A laureate of both the Stefano Marizza and HRH Princess Lalla Meryem international piano competitions, Adam was a Hargreaves and Ball scholar at the Royal Academy of Music, where he studied with Christopher Elton before completing his master’s thesis in ethnomusicology at the University of Cambridge. Generously supported by The Keyboard Charitable Trust, Irish Heritage, The Hattori Foundation, The Macfarlane Walker Trust, The Talent Unlimited Foundation, and The Tillett Trust, he has taken masterclasses with renowned pianists including Anne Queffélec, Imogen Cooper, John Lill, Paul Lewis, Stephen Hough, and Yevgeny Sudbin. Adam recently collaborated with the British Council in France, working as an English Language Assistant in Paris between 2023 and 2024. He is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Glasgow, where he holds the James McCune Smith scholarship