Duncan Honeybourne
Biography Duncan Honeybourne
Duncan Honeybourne
enjoys a colourful and diverse career as a pianist and in music education. Commended for his "gripping performances" (The Times), "glittering performances" (International Piano) and "great technical facility and unfailing imagination" (Musical Opinion), Duncan is best known for his interpretations of 20th and 21st century British piano music.
Following concerto debuts in 1998 at Symphony Hall, Birmingham and the National Concert Hall, Dublin, he made recital debuts in London, Dublin, Paris, and at international festivals in Belgium and Switzerland. His 2012 debut recital disc was described by Gramophone magazine as “not to be missed by all lovers of English music”, whilst BBC Music Magazine reported: “There are gorgeous things here. Hard to imagine better performances."
Honeybourne has toured extensively in the UK, Ireland and Europe as solo and lecture recitalist, concerto soloist and chamber musician, appearing at many major venues and leading festivals. His solo performances have been frequently broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and more than 20 networks worldwide, including Irish, French, Swiss, Austrian, Belgian, Dutch, Finnish, Portuguese and German Radio, ABC (Australia) and Radio New Zealand. Premieres of over 70 solo works written for him have included John Joubert's Third Piano Sonata, John Casken's Tempus Plangendi and Cecilia McDowall's Notes from Abroad, plus the Andrew Downes Piano Concerto at Birmingham Town Hall. Duncan has also revived many forgotten scores by composers of earlier generations, and was invited by the BBC to give the world premiere of two rediscovered piano preludes by English romantic composer Susan Spain-Dunk in a recital broadcast live on Radio 3 from St. David's Hall, Cardiff. Duncan's recordings have been awarded 5 stars in Musical Opinion and International Piano and featured as MusicWeb International Recordings of the Year, CDs of the Week on FMR Radio in South Africa and Recommended CDs on Austrian Radio.
Duncan Honeybourne has written widely on musical topics for journals ranging from Classical Music magazine to The Times. He teaches at the Royal Academy of Music Junior Academy, the University of Southampton and Sherborne School, and gives regular masterclasses and adjudications.