Nicholas McCarthy (pianist)
Nicholas McCarthy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Tadworth, Surrey, England |
| Genres | Classical |
| Occupation | Pianist |
| Instrument | Piano |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Website | nicholasmccarthy |
Nicholas McCarthy is a British classical pianist. He was born without a right hand and became the first left-hand-only pianist to graduate from the Royal College of Music in London in its 130-year history.[1]
McCarthy was born in 1989 and raised in Tadworth, Surrey.[2] He began his piano studies at age 14 and aged 17 was accepted into the Junior department at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama on the proviso that he focus specifically on repertoire written for the left hand[1][3], where he won the annual piano prize. He enrolled in the keyboard department at the Royal College of Music, becoming its first one-handed graduate in 2012.[4]
McCarthy was an original member of the Paraorchestra, an ensemble founded by conductor Charles Hazlewood in 2011, which performed alongside Coldplay during the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London in September 2012. He left the Paraorchestra to pursue international solo tours.[5]
On 23 September 2013, McCarthy spoke of his experiences at a TED conference held at the Royal Albert Hall.[6] In 2014 he featured as a guest presenter for the BBC Proms televised broadcast.[7]
On 4 November 2015, McCarthy appeared on BBC Radio 4's Front Row programme, during which he discussed the recording of his debut album Solo, which had recently reached Number 4 in the classical music charts.[8] In 2018 the king, then Prince of Wales, made him an honorary member of the Royal College of Music.[9]
On 20 July 2025 he made his debut at the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in London, performing Ravel's Piano Concerto for the Left Hand with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and playing Alexander Scriabin's Nocturne (No.9) for Left Hand as his encore.[10] He said the occasion was "a career milestone ... a dream come true".[11] After the Proms, he planned to record a third album and perform with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in Australia.[12]
McCarthy has cited Paul Wittgenstein, who commissioned left-hand pieces from various prominent composers after losing his right arm in World War I, as his hero.[13] He worked with the ABRSM to develop a one-handed grading syllabus to support student pianists with limb differences, which launched in 2025.[14]
Arrangements
- Gershwin Summertime (Porgy and Bess) Arranged for the Left Hand Alone[15]
- Mascagni Intermezzo (Cavalleria Rusticana) Arranged for the Left Hand Alone[16]
- Rachmaninov Prelude Op. 23 No. 5 G minor Arranged for the Left Hand Alone[17]
References
- ^ a b Donna Bowater (28 August 2012). "One-handed pianist Nicholas McCarthy graduates from Royal College of Music". The Telegraph. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ Jackson, Peter (15 August 2012). "One-handed pianist Nicholas McCarthy 'an inspiration'". Surrey: BBC News. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ Everett, Lucinda (11 July 2014). "Concert pianist Nicholas McCarthy on music education and the Paralympics". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
- ^ "Proms debut for one-handed pianist". thetimes.com. 21 July 2025. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ^ Brown, Maggie (1 September 2012). "Coldplay join the paraorchestra of disabled musicians for closing ceremony". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ "Sole determination: Nicholas McCarthy at TEDxAlbertopolis". TED. 23 September 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2025 – via YouTube.
- ^ "BBC Proms 2014 Broadcast Festival: new presenters, new ways to watch and listen". BBC. 24 April 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ "Front Row: Nicholas McCarthy, Backstage at the theatre, Burnt review, Dominic Sandbrook". BBC. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
- ^ "Proms debut for one-handed pianist". thetimes.com. 21 July 2025. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ^ "BBC Proms 2025 reviews: our music critics' verdicts on the concerts". The Times. Archived from the original on 29 July 2025. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
- ^ "Proms debut for one-handed pianist". thetimes.com. 21 July 2025. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ^ "Proms debut for one-handed pianist". thetimes.com. 21 July 2025. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ^ Marshall, Alex. "Only 5 Fingers Playing Piano, but the Sound of So Many Hands". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 18 July 2025. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
- ^ "Explore piano music for one hand in our Performance Grades syllabus". abrsm.org. ABRSM. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
- ^ "Gershwin's 'Summertime' from Porgy and Bess Arranged for the Left Hand Alone by McCarthy". Master Music Publications. 28 March 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
- ^ "Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana Arranged for the Left Hand Alone by McCarthy". Master Music Publications. 13 September 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
- ^ Publications, Master Music (26 April 2020). "Rachmaninov G minor Prelude Arr. Left Hand Sheet Music". mastermusicpublications.com. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
External links