Elias Ackerley

Piano 2024

Competitors 2024

 

Finalist

Elias Ackerley was born in Shrewsbury, England in 2001. Emigrating the following year, Elias began his piano studies at the age of 5 in South Korea. After making rapid progress, he was taken on by Russian pianist Oleg Shitin. After moving back to the UK at the age of 11, Elias gave his debut recital in Chester, UK, and has since performed regularly in the UK and South Korea. 

Between 2014 and 2019, Elias was a pupil of Dr. Murray McLachlan at Chetham’s School of Music, where he became the youngest-ever winner of Chetham’s Beethoven competition. During this period, Elias took 1st prize at the Scottish International Youth Piano Competition (2017), the Blue Ribbon at the National Eisteddfod (2017), and the Epta UK Piano Competition (2018). In 2018, he was 2nd prize winner in the Roma International Piano Competition. In 2019, Elias was offered a coveted position at the Curtis Institute of Music. 

Elias has participated in masterclasses with Sir Andras Schiff and Stephen Hough and lessons from Leslie Howard, Boris Berman and Robert McDonald.

 

Principal teachers

• Gary Graffman 2019-present
• Meng-Chieh Liu 2021-present 

Major Competitions 

• 4^th prize, Aarhus International Piano Competition, 2023  
• Finalist, BBC Young Musician Keyboard category, 2018
• 2^nd prize, Roma International Piano Competition, 2018
• 1^st prize, Scottish International Youth Piano Competition, 2017 

 

Program

FIRST ROUND: RECITAL

Ludwig van Beethoven
Sonata in F major, Op. 10 No. 2
Allegro • Allegretto • Presto 

Franz Liszt
‘Après une lecture du Dante, fantasia quasi sonata’ (Années de pèlerinage, deuxième année, S. 161 : No. 7) 

Johann Strauss II / Alfred Grünfeld
Soirée de Vienne, Op. 56 

  

SEMIFINAL: CHAMBER MUSIC 

Gabriel Fauré
Piano Quartet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 15
Allegro molto moderato 

  

SEMIFINAL: RECITAL 

Ludwig van Beethoven
Sonata in A-flat major, Op. 110
Moderato cantabile molto espressivo • Allegro molto • Adagio ma non troppo – Fuga (Allegro ma non troppo)  

Sergei Rachmaninov
Variations on a Theme by Corelli, Op. 42 

Barbara Assiginaak
Mzizaakok Miiniwaa Mzizaakoonsak (Horseflies and Deerflies) 

Alexander Scriabin 
Sonata No. 4 in F-sharp major, Op. 30
Andante • Prestissimo volando 

 

FINAL: CONCERTO 

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky 
Concerto No.1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23
Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso – Allegro con spirito • Andantino semplice – Prestissimo • Allegro con fuoco 

 

Adopt a Musician
The presence of Elias Ackerley in Montreal
is generously supported by Pierre Lessard

 

 

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