PianoPlus International Recital Series
2026, 4th Edition
The Directors believe that the transformative power of classical music should be accessible to everyone. They also want to open up the opportunities for young pianists to encounter professional concert pianists, often affiliated with higher education establishments, in a more intimate venue in south London.
In its fourth edition this year, PianoPlus continues to feature some of Britain's most exciting composers and pianists, bringing a large range of programmes that are sure to delight and inspire our audiences, while offering opportunities for aspiring musicians to develop their skills in masterclasses, workshops, competitions and performance platforms.
The Ivory Duo Piano Ensemble occupies a distinctive place in contemporary piano performance, combining high-level artistic training with a sustained commitment to living composers and new repertoire.
Making Music Recommended Artists (2025–27), the Duo performs, records, broadcasts, and writes at the intersection of performance, scholarship, and artistic collaboration. Their work includes multiple releases on Convivium Records, a forthcoming monograph with Routledge, and an ongoing collaboration with composer-conductor Nimrod Borenstein, who is currently writing a concerto for piano duet and string orchestra for the ensemble, to be recorded for SOMM Recordings. Since 2023, they have served as co-Artistic Directors of the PianoPlus International Recital Series, dedicated to cultivating new audiences and supporting emerging pianists in South London.
Through their House of Pianos interview series, produced in collaboration with Steinway Hall UK, the Duo has documented conversations with established and emerging compositional voices including Edward Chilvers, Hugh Shrapnel, and Morgan Hayes, exploring subjects ranging from polytempo systems to questions of musical lineage and pianistic tradition. Their collaboration with Hayes extends into a forthcoming recording project centred on the legacy of his teacher, composer-pianist David Branson.
The Duo’s advocacy for contemporary piano duet and two-piano repertoire is further reflected in recordings — many of them premieres — of works by Hugh Shrapnel, John E. Lewis, Clive Osgood, Hugh Benham, and others. Their artistic collaborations span a wide range of contemporary aesthetics, from the minimalist-inflected works of Lola Perrin to the East-meets-West soundscapes of Meilina Tsui, positioning the ensemble not only as interpreters of contemporary repertoire, but as active participants in shaping its future.
Living Composers Featured in PianoPlus:
Elena Pavlea
Julian Jacobson
Hugh Shrapnel
John E. Lewis
Charlie Griffin
Lola Perrin
Tiffany Qiu
Edward Chilvers
Elena Riu
Diana Arismendi
Gabriela Ortiz
Tania Leon
John Corigliano
Skylar Lim
Sonia Killmann
Oran Johnson
Art Muen,
Elliot Teo
Hugh Benham
James Dilon