James Mayhew

James Mayhew is a pianist in the third year of his undergraduate degree at the Royal Academy of Music, where he studies with Ian Fountain. He studied under Hilary Coates and Joseph Tong for four years at Wells Cathedral School, reaching the finals of its concerto competition with the 1st movement of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1, and more recently won 2nd place at the Oxford Piano Competition for Aspiring Professionals.

Some recent highlights include learning and performing Liszt's notoriously difficult and lesser-known Spanish Fantasy, working with conductor Colin Currie in performances of John Adams' Son of Chamber Symphony and Steve Reich's Double Sextet in the Duke's Hall at the Royal Academy of Music, and giving an all-Alkan half-hour recital as part of the Royal Academy's Summer Piano Festival in the David Josefowitz Recital Hall, featuring some of his most challenging works.

As a composer he has had his works performed numerous times, and has played many of his taxing solo works, most notably his Fugue-Fantasy. James enjoys exploring lesser-known works including those by Alkan and Feinberg, known for their extraordinary difficulty, and loves collaborating with other musicians whenever possible.