CATHAL BRESLIN

Born in Derry, Northern Ireland, pianist Cathal Breslin studied at the Royal College of Music in London with John Barstow and the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester with Kathryn Stott, Benjamin Frith, and Alexander Melnikov, before further studies in Madrid with Joaquín Soriano. A Fulbright Scholar, he earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Michigan in 2008 under Arthur Greene. He was awarded the Bronze Medal at the Gian Battista Viotti International Piano Competition in Vercelli, alongside top prizes in Carlet, Athens, and Iowa. He has been an exclusive Yamaha Artist since 2019.

His solo career includes appearances at venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York, Wigmore Hall in London, Kumho Art Hall in Seoul, and the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing. As a concerto soloist, he has performed with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, the BBC Ulster Orchestra, the Turin Philharmonic, and the Memphis Symphony, collaborating with conductors including Vladimir Altschuler, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, and Barry Douglas.

An active chamber musician, he is a member of Trio Festivale and collaborates with artists such as James Galway, Augustin Dumay, Anne Akiko Meyers, and Jan Vogler. His solo discography includes the albums “Mirage” (2020) and “Stories & Soundscapes” (2026). Since 2008, he has served as Founding Artistic Director of the Walled City Music Festival and its International Piano Festival in Derry. He is currently Associate Professor of Piano at Arizona State University and regularly gives masterclasses across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.