Tickets £20 | Complimentary for Patrons
Water & Fire sees Steinway Artist Rupert Egerton-Smith explore the elemental forces of nature through music, released on Quartz Music in summer 2026. Featuring works by Chopin, Debussy, Liszt and Ravel, the programme culminates in Agosti’s dazzling transcription of Stravinsky’s The Firebird. Blending performance, storytelling and live improvisation, Water & Fire examines the powerful relationship between musical and visual imagery through the lens of a rising pianist and composer.
Described by New York Concert Review as a “pianist and musician of the highest calibre” with “electrifying energy”, Rupert Egerton-Smith has followed an unusually distinctive path to the concert stage.
After studying History at Oxford, he spent a decade as an international strategy consultant, playing piano only occasionally. Rediscovering recordings from his youth reignited his musical ambitions, leading to competition successes including the Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition and a debut at Carnegie Hall. His first CD was praised by The Daily Telegraph as “technically stunning”, with the reviewer concluding that he was “worth hearing”.
In 2020, Rupert left corporate life to pursue music full-time as a pianist and composer. He has since appeared at leading venues including Salle Gaveau in Paris, the Berlin Philharmonie and London’s Cadogan Hall. From 2022–26 he served as Artist-in-Residence with the Orchestra of St John’s, performing major concertos by Beethoven, Mozart, Grieg, Rachmaninov and Schumann.
Highlights include performing for HM Queen Camilla at Salisbury Cathedral in 2024 during celebrations marking the centenary of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, and a return to Carnegie Hall later that year, where his performance of Agosti’s Firebird transcription received a standing ovation.
In March 2025, Steinway & Sons welcomed him to its prestigious roster of Steinway Artists.
