About
Born in Edinburgh, Esther's first musical studies were at St Mary's Music School and Chetham's School of Music. After receiving scholarships from all four English music Conservatoires, she completed her undergraduate degree in Manchester and then a Postgraduate Professional Performance Degree at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. During her studies she was fortunate to be the recipient of several awards and scholarships, including The Alfred Clay Prize for Piano, South East Award for Advanced Study, Sir James Caird Travelling Scholarship, Musicians Benevolent Fund Educational Award and Countess of Munster Scholarship.
In partnership with pianist Heejung Kim, Esther formed the Kesh Piano Duo, specialising in repertoire for four hands on one piano. The duo gave numerous concerts across the U.K and Europe, and won a Park Lane Young Artists award which led to performances at the Wigmore Hall and Purcell Room. The duo were members of Live Music Now! for five years, giving concerts and workshops within community settings. Other concert highlights include appearances at St Martins in the Fields, St John's Smith Square, The Chichester Festival, The Lake District Summer Music Festival, The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, The Deal Music Festival and Sounds New Festival.
Throughout her studies, Esther has been privileged to be mentored by Richard Beauchamp, Renna Kellaway and Matthijs Verschoor, who have profoundly shaped her musical thinking and playing. Further influence came from attending masterclasses with Arnaldo Cohen, John O'Conor, Jan Wijn, Joaquín Achúcarro and Barry Snyder.
In recent years she has specialised in nurturing young pianists, and maintains a large studio of students at St George's International School, Rome. Esther became an ABRSM examiner in 2018. She works as a teacher, accompanist and collaborative pianist in Rome.
