Stephen Hough is a British-born classical pianist, composer and writer. He became the first classical music performer to be awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 2001, joining prominent writers and scientists who have made significant contributions in their fields. In 2009 he was named by The Economist and Intelligent Life magazines as one of 20 living polymaths. In 2010 he was named Instrumentalist of the Year at the prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards. He is a Governor of the Royal Ballet Companies (The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and the Royal Ballet School). He is a patron of the charity The Nightingale Project, which takes music and art into hospitals and of Music in Prisons (Irene Taylor Trust). He was appointed Stephen Hough is a British-born classical pianist, composer and writer. He became the first classical music performer to be awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 2001, joining prominent writers and scientists who have made significant contributions in their fields. In 2009 he was named by The Economist and Intelligent Life magazines as one of 20 living polymaths. In 2010 he was named Instrumentalist of the Year at the prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards. He is a Governor of the Royal Ballet Companies (The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and the Royal Ballet School). He is a patron of the charity The Nightingale Project, which takes music and art into hospitals and of Music in Prisons (Irene Taylor Trust). He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2014 New Year Honours for services to music. He was made an Honorary Bencher of the Middle Temple in 2017.
Hough has appeared as a soloist with major orchestras around the world and as a recitalist has appeared on the major stages of the world including Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium, Chicago's Symphony Hall, London's Royal Festival Hall and the main stage of the Concertgebouw.
He is a visiting professor of piano at the Royal Academy of Music in London and the International Chair of Piano Studies at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. He is also on the faculty of the Juilliard School in New York.
Hough joined the Roman Catholic Church when he was 19. Twice in his life he considered becoming a priest, in particular joining the Franciscan Order.
He has written about his homosexuality and its relationship with both his music-making and his religion. For some 15 years, following his Catholic vocation, he lived a life of celibacy. In 2007 he published The Bible as Prayer: a handbook for lectio divina. 'Nosing Around', his little book on perfume, was published in 2014. He had a solo exhibition of his paintings at the Broadbent Gallery in London in October 2012....more