Jack Campbell

Archived events – 2021

Enescu competition 2020 semifinal

I really didn't imagine I would be in the semi-final of the Enescu competition in Romania – and that I'd pull it off without catching Covid. My programme was – strange. Enescu's 1st piano sonata, Ronald Stevenson's Peter Grimes Fantasy, and three Ligeti Études. I must say that Enescu's 2 piano sonatas, numbered 1 and 3, are stunning music of great depth. I didn't reach the final, but this experience was great enough. The performance was indeed at 7am UK time. While I can't post the recording here, I may be able to share it with specific interested people.

Third-year piano recital

Still in the strange times of Covid, I gave my third year piano recital to an audience of about 6 people, spaced far apart. This recital was a backwards journey (chronologically) through my repertoire, linked by themes of dance and improvisation. Beginning with the world premiere of Robert Ely's The Spectral City (composed 2020), I ventured through Ligeti, Stevenson and Ravel, before reaching Chopin's Ballade no. 1 (composed in the 1830s). As with the Enescu competition, I am unable to post the recording publicly but I may be able to share it with specific, interested people. A note in 2023: while some of the repertoire is more unusual, I'm aware that all composers in this recital were men. Diversifying my repertoire is now a key goal.

Norah Sande 2021 semifinal

I reused some of my third year recital for this competition round. I didn't get through but accept that's part of the journey.

Robert Ely: Spanish Dance Etudes premiere

I gave the world premiere of Robert Ely’s Six Spanish Dance Études at the Royal College of Music. It was a huge responsibility – I knew that my performance would shape the audience's opinion and whether they become interested in the composer. I explored my experience in this blog post.

Purgina and Schubert at the Austrian Cultural Forum

Under the mentorship of Austrian pianist Stefan Stroissnig, this concert paired Schubert with cutting-edge music by contemporary composers. I performed a moment musical by Schubert, and musique noire by Julia Purgina. The concert also featured my great pianist colleague, Cristiana Achim. You can read more about Schubert's moment musical in A♭ on my blog.

Song Plus: Take a walk on the dark side

This shadowy concert explored the shady, sorrowful and sadistic sides of the song repertoire, in a programme devised by Audrey Hyland. Countertenor Hugh Cutting and I opened with the apparition of Black Max,* and also performed a particularly messed-up lullaby by Richard Rodney Bennet. Together with Ceferina Penny, we performed In der Nacht by Robert Schumann. * In this song, Black Max is a shadowy apparition who delves in illicit deeds and appears before disaster. He is so called as he's dressed in black.

Light in Darkness with Maria Willis

In a chapel in the darkening Norfolk countryside, mezzo Maria and I set out to show how music can bring some light into darkness. We opened with Robert Schumann's grief-stricken songs of Queen Mary of Scots, visited some sinister creatures of the sea, and then set the mood with some winter, romance, and Christmas songs!

Upcoming events