Celebrated pianist Cordelia Williams brings an immersive three-day residency to Stoller Hall

This April, internationally acclaimed pianist Cordelia Williams returns to Manchester for a three-day residency at Stoller Hall, blending solo recitals, chamber performances and masterclasses while uniting a handpicked ‘supergroup’ of leading musicians from across the UK.

Marking two decades since she left the city and Chetham’s School of Music to embark on a distinguished international career, Williams’ weekend-long programme showcases her revered affinity with the works of Franz Schubert, with an assortment of his expansive late works, including the luminous A major Piano Sonata D959 and several much-loved chamber pieces, alongside Chopin, Beethoven and Janáček.

The residency begins on Sat 25 Apr with a pair of afternoon masterclasses led by two distinguished collaborators. At 2pm, celebrated British cellist and former BBC Young Musician of the Year Guy Johnston leads a session for young performers, before violin virtuoso Tamsin Waley-Cohen hosts a class drawing on her broad-based musical pedigree at 4pm.

The first day concludes at 7pm with Williams’ solo recital, a poetic and interpretively profound performance spanning a rich spectrum of romantic and early modern piano writing. A Mazurka in A minor by Frédéric Chopin opens proceedings, paired with the shifting atmospheres of Janáček’s In the Mists and the late Bagatelles Op.126, the somber yet graceful Beethoven work she has recorded to critical acclaim. The recital culminates in Schubert’s sweeping Piano Sonata in A major, a piece whose lyrical breadth and timeless folk qualities hold a special place in her repertoire.

On Sun 26 Apr, the programme begins at 10.30am with a viola masterclass led by Gary Pomeroy. A member of the acclaimed Heath Quartet, Pomeroy studied at the RNCM before continuing his training in Madrid, and now balances performance with a wide range of teaching and mentoring work.

Later that afternoon, Williams reunites with Waley-Cohen for a lunchtime duo recital that combines the warmth and elegance of Bach’s G major violin sonata with Schubert’s exhilarating Fantasie in C major, while a pair of reflective miniatures brings a darker, enigmatic tone, including Nocturne by John Cage and a delicate arrangement of Schubert’s Wiegenlied by Mischa Elman.

At 2.30pm, pre-eminent bass soloist Toby Hughes leads an afternoon double bass masterclass. Boasting a career marked by numerous awards and competition wins, including the Royal Philharmonic Society’s ‘Julius Isserlis Scholarship’, Hughes has built a reputation for expanding the expressive range of the instrument while collaborating with ensembles across the classical landscape.

On the evening of Day Two, Williams returns to the stage with Johnston for Schubert’s Arpeggione Sonata, before the wider ensemble gathers for the composer’s beloved Piano Quintet in A major, better known as the ‘Trout’. With Waley-Cohen, Pomeroy and Hughes completing the group, the final performance closes the weekend with one of chamber music’s most joyful and spirited works.

The residency concludes on Mon 27 Apr with a pair of sessions devoted to emerging performers. At 9.30am, Williams leads a masterclass for students from Chetham’s School of Music, with another piano masterclass at 12pm, giving audiences a rare glimpse into the craft of interpretation and performance coaching.

For more information on Cordelia Williams’ unmissable residency at Stoller Hall, click HERE.