“For me, there is no greater joy than the friendship I share with a Steinway on the concert platform.”
Simon Mulligan
British pianist Simon Mulligan has been described by The Times of London as ‘the most abundantly gifted of pianists’, by Yehudi Menuhin as ‘one of the finest pianists I have ever had the pleasure of performing with,’ and by Herbie Hancock as ‘phenomenal’.
Following his debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Mr. Mulligan has performed and recorded with the BBC Symphony, Detroit Symphony (under Slatkin), English Symphony Orchestra (Boughton), Warsaw Sinfonia (Menuhin), Hong Kong Philharmonic (Atherton), Malaysian Philharmonic and the Royal National Scottish Orchestra (Serebrier) to name a few.
Mulligan recorded his first compact disc aged nineteen under the direction of Yehudi Menuhin, which led to a seven-year collaboration and friendship, culminating with Lord Menuhin's final concert in Düsseldorf. Mulligan has gone on to record albums for Sony, Universal, Decca, Nimbus, Naxos, and fourteen solo releases for the Steinway label.
As a chamber musician, Mulligan collaborates with many notable artists. While a student at London’s Royal Academy of Music, he began worldwide recital tours with cellist Lynn Harrell. He soon began touring with violinist Joshua Bell, performing at every major international venue, including live broadcasts from Lincoln Center and at the Grammy Awards. Mulligan has performed for three US Presidents, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal Family, and has enjoyed collaborations with Dame Shirley Bassey, Liza Minnelli, Van Morrison and Sting.
Alongside an extensive solo repertoire and almost sixty concertos, Mulligan’s focus on contemporary music has led to first performances of works by Hans Werner Henze, James MacMillan, Paul Moravec, Tobias Picker, Mark Anthony Turnage and Alexis Weissenberg. Mulligan’s passion for paraphrases and improvisation has been featured in Downbeat, Billboard, JazzTimes, International Pianist and Gramophone. Mulligan enjoyed a close friendship with film composer Michael Kamen, featuring on several of Kamen’s scores, most notably the HBO television series Band of Brothers, produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. As a jazz pianist, Mulligan has performed at festivals in Europe, Asia, South America and Barbados. The Simon Mulligan Quartet comprises saxophonist Frank Walden, drummer Justin Woodward and Andy Hamill on bass. His US-based trio The Simon Alliance features bassist Gene Perla and drummer Adam Nussbaum. Mulligan is the most prolific Steinway Artist, having recorded in all genres and advised in the development of the Steinway Spirio piano since its inception in 2014.
A music scholar of St Paul's School in London, Mulligan began his studies with Bobbie Howlett and Andrew Pledge. At the age of thirteen he received a scholarship to study with Alexander Kelly at the Royal Academy of Music, leading to classes with Jacques Rouvier in Paris and Alexander Satz in Austria. Mulligan also studied Beethoven in London at the personal invitation of Alfred Brendel. Mulligan was awarded a further scholarship to the International Piano Academy at Italy’s Lake Como where he began private study with Alexis Weissenberg. He additionally counts among his mentors Charles Rosen and Murray Perahia.
Mr. Mulligan holds the Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Music and is Artist-in Residence at the University of Maryland.
‘The world’s most versatile pianist’ – Steinway & Sons
Simon Mulligan is a Steinway Artist