Nineteen-year-old pianist Harry Bowden rounds off our fabulous series of Royal Academy of Music Lunchtime Concerts for 2026
Harry, from Bolton, has performed in multiple venues across London and the North of England. He has been described as a pianist of ‘striking originality and authority’, as well as having ‘real understanding and tremendous imagination’.
Programme
Ludwig van Beethoven – Piano Sonata in C minor, Op. 111
Frédéric Chopin – 2 Nocturnes, Op. 62
Alexander Scriabin – Piano Sonata No. 5, Op. 53
Harry started piano lessons aged six and began attending the Junior Royal Northern College of Music (JRNCM) in 2022, studying piano with his long-time mentor Les Chisnall, alongside organ and conducting. During these formative years he also received guidance from Peter Donohoe and Marta Karbownicka.
After winning the 2024 JRNCM Concerto Competition he performed Liszt’s First Concerto with the JRNCM Sinfonia under Eduardo Portal. Other competition successes have included 1st prizes in the 2020 Chopin Festival in Mazovia and 2021 Cittá di Arona Competition, and 3rd prize in the 2023 Future Stars International Piano Competition; he was also a semi-finalist in the 2025 London International Chopin Competition.
Harry has garnered praise for his commitment to neglected 20th and 21st century music, especially that of composer Kaikhosru Sorabji, of which his playing has been described as ‘wholly idiomatic and profoundly sensitive’. He is also a keen chamber musician, and is a member of Trio Avant with violinist Takanori Okamoto and cellist Vivian Qu.
Harry is currently an undergraduate student at the Royal Academy of Music as the Drapers’ Company Scholar, studying with Emeritus Head of Keyboard Christopher Elton.
Concert starts at 1pm
This event is free for under-25s. Tickets on the door will cost £14.