Eugene Asti, piano

Eugene Asti studied at the Mannes College of Music, New York with Jeannette Haien where he earned his BMus and MA and subsequently at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London where he studied piano accompaniment with Graham Johnson. He now teaches at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and is Vocal Accompaniment Coordinator at Trinity College of Music. He regularly gives masterclasses both in the UK and abroad.

One of the foremost accompanists of his generation, he has performed with many great artists including Dame Felicity Lott, Sir Willard White, Sir Thomas Allen, Angelika Kirchschlager, Bryn Terfel and the late Dame Margaret Price, in venues such as the Wigmore Hall, the Barbican, the Musikverein in Vienna, Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Kölner Philharmonie, the Megaron in Athens, the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, Symphony Hall in Birmingham and Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie Hall in New York.

Asti has done much recording work for the BBC, having featured regularly on Radio 3’s “Voices” programme with Sarah Connolly, Sophie Daneman, Rebecca Evans, Susan Gritton, Jared Holt, Christine Rice, Stephan Loges, Kate Royal, and James Rutherford. His many recordings for Hyperion Records include songs and duets by Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn and the complete songs of Clara Schumann. Other recordings include a live recital disc with Sarah Connolly for Signum Records, the complete Mozart songs with Sophie Karthäuser and Stephan Loges for Cyprès, a disc of Schumann Lieder entitled Songs of Love and Loss with Sarah Connolly for Chandos, a recital of English song for BIS with James Rutherford and most recently, a disc of Poulenc Melodies Les Anges Musiciens with Sophie Karthaí¼ser for Harmonia Mundi.

In 2009 Asti devised a recital series to honour the anniversary of Felix Mendelssohn, for London’s King’s Place. He has also completed an edition of Mendelssohn songs for Bärenreiter which was published in 2008.

Recent highlights include recitals with Sophie Karthäuser at the Théí¢tre des Abbesses in Paris, Théí¢tre de Cornouaille in Quimper, Wigmore Hall, the Musiq3 Festival in Brussels and the Wigmore Hall, a recital with Sir Willard White at the Sevenoaks Festival and a recital with Bryn Terfel at the the Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele.