ELLIS THOMAS

Available to stream
11am 28th December 2020

Prelude and Fugue in Eb minor from Book 2 of the Well-Tempered Clavier, BWV
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

Sonata in F major, Op. 10 No. 2                 
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

I.Allegro in F major  
II.Menuetto. Allegretto in F minor  
III.Presto in F major

Toccata in C major, Op. 7
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)

Étude-tableau, Op. 39 No. 9                             
Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 -1943)

Allegro moderato. Tempo di marcia in D major

Sonata in Bb minor, Movement 1                           
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)

I. Grave – Doppio Movimento

Welsh-born pianist Ellis Thomas started to play the piano at the age of six and in 2012, he was awarded a place to study at the Junior Royal Northern College of Music, where he studied for six years under Manola Hatfield. Throughout his time at the Junior RNCM, he was the recipient of numerous prestigious awards and in summer 2018, he was awarded the Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music diploma with high distinction. Ellis has recently completed his first year of study at Downing College, Cambridge, alongside which he is also studying piano with Tessa Nicholson of the Royal Academy of Music.

Ellis frequently performs solo recitals around the UK and has also performed as a soloist with orchestras including the Welsh Chamber Orchestra. Last year, he performed Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with the Junior RNCM Symphony Orchestra under Ewa Strusińska, having won their annual concerto competition a year earlier. Ellis is fortunate to have received masterclass tuition from an array of distinguished pianists including Einar Steen-Nøkleberbg, Noriko Ogawa, Steven Osborne and Peter Donohoe.

This summer, Ellis was selected to study at the International Music Academy in Solsona, Catalonia, in the class of Seonhee Myong, where he also gave several solo and chamber music performances. In Cambridge, he has also been selected for an instrumental award, receiving regular chamber music coaching from notable artists such as Michael Dussek, the Endellion Quartet and the Amatis Trio.

Having been awarded Gregynog Young Musician of the Year last April, Ellis Thomas has since gone on to be prize-winner at the Cambridge University Concerto Competition and to win the Under-19 instrumental Blue Riband at the National Eisteddfod in Llanrwst. In 2018, Ellis was placed first at the national final of the RIBI Young Musician of the Year competition in Edinburgh and he has also seen successes at many other competitions including the Urdd Eisteddfod and the Beethoven Junior Intercollegiate Piano Competition.