In a programme of Taneyev: Prelude and Fugue Op. 29, Chopin: Nocturne in C minor Op. 27 No.1, Chopin: Nocturne in D Flat Major Op. 27 No. 2, Scherzo No. 1 Op. 20 in B minor, Schumann: Novelette Op. 21 No. 8 and Sonata No. 2 in G minor Op. 22
Rhys Concessao emerged on the concert stage at the age of eight making a striking debut at London’s Purcell Room. Since that early appearance, he has developed an international career marked by musical intensity and a natural affinity for the concert platform performing across the United Kingdom, Europe, the United States, India and Russia.
His artistry has brought him to many of the world’s leading halls, including Carnegie Hall in New York, the Barbican Centre in London, Teatr Polski in Warsaw, The Great Hall in Moscow, The Hermitage, Winter Palace in St Petersburg, Strelka Festival in Nizhny Novogrod and the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Mumbai. Equally at home as a concerto soloist, he has appeared with orchestras in the UK and abroad such as the Ealing Symphony Orchestra, Reading Symphony Orchestra, Purcell Symphony Orchestra collaborating with conductors such as John Gibbons, Stefan Hofkes, and Jos Zegers. Highlights include a concert tour across Germany with the Bundespolizei Orchester München in support of UNICEF’s Schools for Africa initiative as well as performances throughout Germany and Russia. In the UK his musical development was further shaped through touring the country’s major stages with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.
From an early age Rhys has been recognised for his exceptional promise. He is a prizewinner at numerous international competitions including First Prize at the Evangelia Tjiarri International Piano Competition, the American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition and the Reading Symphony Orchestra Young Musicians Competition. He has also been awarded the ‘Most Distinguished Pianist’ prize at the IBLA Grand Prize in Sicily and received Third Prize at the Windsor International Piano Competition. In 2017, at age 14 he became the youngest recipient of the Times Network Global NRI of the Year Award leading to high-profile performances.
Alongside his performing career, Rhys is deeply committed to sharing music with wider audiences. As a Music Ambassador for the Lang Lang International Music Foundation he has performed alongside Lang Lang and taken part in several international initiatives. He has been featured with Lang Lang in the global launch of the Piano Book project. He is also an ambassador for the Leeds International Piano Competition and has been featured in broadcasts on Classic FM and Medici TV. Most recently, he was invited as a Young Artist to the 2025 PianoTexas International Festival in collaboration with the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.
Rhys is a graduate of the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory where he studied with the renowned pianist and pedagogue Eliso Virsaladze. His earlier studies were shaped at The Purcell School and the Royal Academy of Music, Junior Department where he was an Elton John Scholar. He has further refined his artistry in masterclasses with eminent musicians including Lang Lang, Dmitri Alexeev, Rena Shereshevskaya, Tatiana Zelikman and Epifanio Comis among others.
