Simon Mulligan

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British pianist Simon Mulligan began playing at the age of 3 and quickly established himself in the music world as a multi-faceted virtuoso. Described by The Times of London as ‘the most abundantly gifted of pianists,’ Mulligan performs and records internationally as a soloist and chamber musician in many diverse genres. Following his début with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Mulligan has enjoyed performance and recording engagements with the BBC Symphony (Slatkin), English Symphony Orchestra (Boughton), Warsaw Sinfonia (Menuhin), Hong Kong Philharmonic (Atherton), Malaysian Philharmonic, Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional, and the Royal National Scottish Orchestra (Serebrier) to name a few.

Mulligan’s first compact disc was recorded under the direction of Yehudi Menuhin, leading to a seven-year collaboration and friendship, culminating in what was to be Lord Menuhin's final concert at the Tonhalle in Düsseldorf. He has since made over twenty recordings for compact disc, including the solo album “Piano” for Sony Classical featuring his own arrangements, compositions, and adaptations for piano and orchestra which has garnered international acclaim and featured in various television, radio, and internet campaigns. Other recording highlights include a disc of Beethoven sonatas for Sony Masterworks, the Martinu Sonatas and Triple Concerto, Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, Rozsa’s Spellbound Concerto, the Chopin Nocturnes, and the première disc “The Piano Music of Alexis Weissenberg” for Nimbus, which included spontaneous improvisations recorded in the presence of the composer. His première recording of Ned Rorem’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with José Serebrier and the Royal National Scottish Orchestra for Naxos was Gramophone magazine’s “Editor’s Choice.”

As a chamber musician, Mulligan collaborates with many notable artists. He first began touring with cellist Lynn Harrell while a student at London’s Royal Academy of Music, and has also given numerous worldwide recital tours with Joshua Bell, including performances at every major international venue as well as the Grammy Awards, for Her Majesty The Queen and the Royal Family, and President Barack Obama. In other fields, Simon has supported artists as varied as Branford Marsalis, Van Morrison, Sting, Dame Shirley Bassey, and Liza Minnelli. In addition he has recently begun a series of concerts with award-winning broadcaster and journalist John Suchet about the life of Beethoven.

Alongside an extensive solo repertoire and over fifty concertos, Mulligan is a devotee of contemporary music and has given first performances of works by Hans Werner Henze, James MacMillan, Tobias Picker, Alexis Weissenberg, Mark Anthony Turnage and Paul Moravec (winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Music). Mulligan’s passion for composition, arranging, and improvisation has led to articles in numerous music publications, including Downbeat, JazzTimes, International Pianist, and Gramophone magazines. His collaboration on several projects with Michael Kamen features him as soloist on Decca’s The New Moon in the Old Moon’s Arms with the BBC Symphony under Slatkin, and on HBO’s award-winning television series Band of Brothers. As a jazz pianist, Mulligan continues to lead several of his own groups, performing at festivals throughout the UK, Europe, Shanghai and the Americas. His jazz quartet album, “Playlist,” features all-original compositions.

A Music Scholar of St Paul's School in London, Mulligan studied under Alexander Kelly at the Royal Academy of Music and Jaques Rouvier in Paris; he also studied Beethoven at the personal invitation of Alfred Brendel. He won a scholarship to the International Piano Academy on Italy’s Lake Como and was one of the youngest recipients to be awarded the prestigious Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Music for his musical achievements. He additionally counts among his mentors Charles Rosen and Murray Perahia.