“…the sincerity of Smart’s singing line is cause for celebration, and the recital is quite outstanding in its unique sequence and profile of a superb young player.” Andrew Parker, International Record Review
Callum Smart attracted wide public attention at the age of thirteen having won the strings category of the 2010 BBC Young Musicians Competition performing Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales conducted by Vasily Petrenko and broadcast on BBC 2 and Radio 3.
Also in 2010, Callum became the top European prize-winner in the Menuhin Competition in Oslo. He has since appeared at a number of European festivals including the Dvorak Festival in Prague and the Menuhin Festival in Gstaad. UK recitals include Birmingham, the Cheltenham Festival, Glasgow, Leeds, the Lichfield Festival, Manchester, Newport and Perth. In March 2016 he gave recital performances with the pianist Richard Uttley in Birmingham, London’s Wigmore Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin and the Auditorium du Louvre in Paris.
Last season Callum made his Royal Festival Hall debut with the Philharmonia under Michael Collins. Previous concerto appearances include venues such as Cadogan Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall, London and performances with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in Liverpool with Vasily Petrenko the European Union Chamber Orchestra. In 2014 Callum released his first recital disc which was met with critical acclaim. Described by Christopher Dingle from the BBC Music Magazine as ‘an exuberantly assured debut’ the recording received 4 stars and was selected for special mention as June’s ‘The Strad Recommends’. He was also named as a BBC Music Magazine Rising Star: Great Artists of Tomorrow. His second disc, featuring Fauré, Poulenc and Ravel with Richard Uttley, was released in March 2016.
Richard Uttley has been recognised for his ‘musical intelligence and pristine facility’ (International Record Review), ‘amazing decisiveness … tumultuous performance’ (Ivan Hewett, The Daily Telegraph), and featured as a Rising Star in BBC Music Magazine. He has given solo recitals or played concertos in the UK’s major halls, and his playing is frequently broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
Richard read Music at Clare College, Cambridge, graduating with a Double First in 2008. He studied piano with Ian Buckle and then with Martin Roscoe at the Guildhall School. He was selected for representation by Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT) in 2011.
Last season Richard released his third CD, Ghosts and Mirrors, to critical acclaim; appeared at Cheltenham, Beaminster and Manchester International Festivals; as well solo recitals in Bridgewater Hall and Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Wigmore Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin and the Auditorium du Louvre.