
William Bracken is a pianist in great demand as a recitalist, concerto soloist, chamber musician and teacher. A native of Wirral, he has won numerous prizes, including 1st Prize at the Liszt Society International Piano Competition in 2022, 1st Prize, Press Prize and Audience Prize at the Euregio International Piano Competition in 2023, and 3rd Prize at the UniSA International Piano Competition in South Africa in 2024. He is currently pursuing his studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where he is also a teaching assistant at the Centre for Creative Performance and Classical Improvisation.
His concert highlights include several appearances as soloist in concertos at the Barbican, Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, St. John's Smith Square, as well as recitals at the Chipping Campden Festival, LSO St. Luke's and, most recently, Wigmore Hall, where he was praised by the Telegraph for his "courage, stamina and abundant musicianship" and "ability to captivate an audience". In January 2024, William made his New York debut in Carnegie Hall's Weill Hall.
William has collaborated with many renowned musicians, including Stephen Hough, Richard Goode, Simon Trpceski and Paul Lewis. In 2022, he was named a Fellow of the Imogen Cooper Music Trust, which enabled him to take part in a week of intensive study in the South of France with the renowned pianist Dame Imogen Cooper. That summer, he also won a full scholarship to the Aspen Music Festival and Summer School in Colorado, where he studied with Hung-Kuan Chen and Fabio Bidini.
William performs a wide and varied repertoire, with a particular interest in jazz and the improvisational elements of classical music performance. He is currently pursuing an Artist Diploma at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, under the guidance of Professors Martin Roscoe and Ronan O'Hora.