Elias Ackerley - Prize winner Aarhus International Piano Competition 2023

10. august - 19.30

Elias Ackerley was born in Shrewsbury in 2001. Emigrating the following year, Elias began his piano studies at the age of 5 in South Korea. After making rapid progress he was taken on by Russian pianist, Oleg Shitin, under whose guidance Elias knew success in a number of competitions, including winning the junior prize at the Gumi National piano competition in 2012.

In May 2013, at the age of 11, Elias gave his debut recital in Chester and has performed regularly in concerts since in the UK, including as a soloist with a number of orchestras.

Between 2014 and 2019 Elias was a student at Chetham’s School of Music. He was a pupil of Dr Murray McLachlan (Head of Keyboard), under whose tutelage Elias succeeded in becoming the youngest ever winner of the Chetham’s Beethoven competition in 2015. More recently Elias took the first prize at the Scottish International Youth Piano Competition (2017), the Blue Ribbon at the National Eisteddfod (2017) and the Epta UK Piano Competition (2018). In 2018 he was a keyboard finalist in the BBC Young Musician of the Year. Elias has received masterclasses from Sir Andras Schiff and Stephen Hough and lessons from Lesley Howard, Boris Berman and Robert McDonald.

Elias is currently a pupil of Gary Graffman and Meng-Chieh Liu at the Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia.

Elias receives the generous support of Dr KR Weir’s legacy through the Keyboard Charitable Trust.