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 *In 2023, Riyad will be performing at the Emirate Airline Festival of Literature in Dubai, Kennedy Center in Washington/USA, and Balliol College University in Oxford and other places. Please click on  VIDEOS , his Youtube Channel or social media to watch recent videos ! 

 *In 2022, Riyad had many solo Piano and Chamber Music Recitals at several socities and clubs in the UK and US, and also made his debut the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra at St. John's Smith Square. Please click on  VIDEOS , his Youtube Channel or social media to watch recent videos ! 

 *In 2021, Riyad has been exploring many new compositions by Schubert, especially that this compositions brings him a lot of peace. Please click on VIDEOS , Youtube Channel, social media to watch recent videos related to Schubert! 

* Read recent review about Riyad's solo recital dedicated to Schubert at St Mary's Perviale "Refined beauty in the name of peace" by clicking on Reviews

* In 2020, Riyad will be performing for Bideford Music Club, Dartford Grammar School, Oriental Club and St Nicholas Church at the UK amongst other concerts. 

 

 

*In April 2019, Riyad has joined the stage with Dame Mitsuko Uchida for a concert at Cadogan Hall in London raising £90000 for "Hands up for Syria" organization.

*In August 2018 Riyad won the Grand Slam/ First Prize at the International Liszt Ference Piano Competition. 

*In December 2017 Riyad won the mid-day Manchester audition and will be making his debut at the Birdgwater Hall in Manchester in 2018-2019. 

 *Riyad has recentely been invited to teach Piano at the Junior Department of Guildhall School of Music from September 2017.

*In April 2017 Riyad won the Gold Medal at the Berliner International Piano Competition and will be presented by Manhattan Concert Artists. 

* New Video recording of a Syrian Compositions  by Kareem Roustom and Chopin Nocturne Op.9, No. 3 can be found at VIDEOS

* ITV Border interview Riyad about Syria before performing for Carlisle Music Society and video can be found at VIDEOS

 *In August 2016, Riyad has been sellected as one of 24 finalists to complete at the Busoni International Piano Competition in August 2017.

*In June 2015 The Countess of Munster Trust has exceptionally sellected Riyad as an artist for a 2nd year. He will be giving regular solo recitals  at many prestigious music socities at the UK and abroad, including some concerto performances with orchestras during the next season 2015-2017.

 *In June 2015 Riyad graduated with distinction in Master of Performance from the Royal College of Music .

* Recent reviews from Sunderalnd amd Cockermouth Societies can be found be clicking on Sunderland or Cockermouth

*In June 2014 Riyad has been selected as an artist at The Couness of Munster Concert Scheme.

 *A recent review on 1s prize winner concert of Norah Sande Award "Riyad Nicolas" can be found be clicking on Eastbourne review

*In February 2014 Riyad won the Gold Medal at the prestigious Chappell Medal Piano Competition at the Royal College of Music.

"In July 2013 Riyad won the 1st prize in Norah Sande Award Piano Competition and will be performing in Eastbourne and Cambs in the UK as part of the prize. Please go to "Concerts" section for more updates.

* The success of his Beethoven Emperor Concerto performance with London Chamber Orchestra led to a considerable fund raising of over £150000 for The International Rescue Committe (for Syria) at the UK. Samples of videos can be seen by clicking on VIDEOS

* In February 2012 , Riyad was chosen as one of the Tillett Trust’s Young Artist Platform Scheme. Very recentely in October 2012 he made his debut in Wigmore debut and soon he will be making his debut in Cadogan Hall performing Beethoven 5th Concerto with the London Chamber Orchestra. In addition he will be performing in many prestigious festivals in the UK and also in Spain.

*Riyad is working on his CD recording offer in France being the 1st prize winner of Francaix International Piano Competition. 

*Teaching: In addition to Riyad's performance career, Riyad has an extensive teaching experience having started to teach the Piano from 2007 till now. He is now teaching at the JD of Guildhall School of Music and Dartford Grammar School. For private teaching please email info@riyadnicolas.com




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Reviews - Regent Hall, London 7 August 2009 :

http://www.mvdaily.com/articles/2009/08/bpse.htm

Unity of Conception
MALCOLM TROUP was at the
BPSE Summer Festival in London

A succession of phenomenally talented instrumentalists helped to lift this year's BPSE Summer Festival at Regent Hall, in memory of BPSE Co-Founder the late CarolaGrindea, onto a new and higher plane of musical superlatives. I say 'instrumentalists' advisedly because, thanks to the organisational skills of pianist and RCM professor Julian Jacobson, the Festival opened [24 July 2009] with a rare Beethovenian double-bill not often heard in such relaxed surroundings. For the first half, he was joined by his professional 'friends': Chris O'Neal (oboe); Tony Lamb (clarinet); Philip Gibbon (bassoon); and Katie Pryce (horn) in a superb performance of Beethoven's early Quintet for Piano and Winds Op 16 and, for the second half, we had the 'other' Piano Trio No 2 from the same Op 70 as that of the celebrated 'Ghost' Trio, with accomplished Greenwich Trio violinist Lana Trotvsek and cellist Pál Banda. A fascinating glimpse behind-the-scenes of what this called for in terms of give-and-take on the part of pianist Julian Jacobson -- one of the finest chamber musicians and coaches in the country, quite apart from his fame as a soloist of distinction -- can be found in his insider-review elsewhere in Music & Vision. Needless to say, all such hazards as described there were triumphantly overcome in performance which, far from being under-rehearsed, sounded as if the group had already taken it on tour -- which is the only course I could recommend after such matchless playing by both wind-players and pianist.


The following Monday 27 July was occupied by Coady Green, an outstanding Australian pianist who has already won well-nigh all the awards and prizes that his great continent has to offer, so has come to continue his winning streak in Europe. Alas, it fell on a day when I had a concert of my own to contend with but, on my return, I received rapt reports of the impression he had made with his SchubertSonata D664, BeethovenFantasy Op 77 and Liszt's Pensées des morts and Funerailles, though in the latter the question was raised as to why he needed the music at all. At any rate, it was a welcome return-visit, filling in at short notice to avoid an awkward cancellation. Wednesday 29 July's recital by the fair Evelyne -- youngest of the proud Berezofsky dynasty -- has already been reviewed elsewhere in Music & Vision so it leaves me free to devote the remainder of my review to our three remaining stars: MishkaMomen, AisaIjiri and, most of all, Riyad Nicolas -- a name to remember!
.

 

riyad



The last event of our Summer Festival at Regent Hall (Friday 7 August 2009) might well be confused with the last of the summer wine, so exultant was the 'high' on which it ended and so intoxicating the effect produced on the large public by the last of Liszt's Paganini-Etudes which Syrian pianist Riyad Nicolas had saved as his parting-shot.

Even before that, he had given a prodigious recital which rose head and shoulders above everything else we have heard this year: a flawless and insightful account of Beethoven's Op 27 No 1 and yet another interpretation of Chopin's B minor Sonata, something of a firm favourite if not a 'warhorse' at this year's Festival.

His was a commanding presence on the platform even before a note had been sounded, from the moment he strode purposefully on and cocked his head attentively as if commanding silence to reign. Indeed, a sense of timing was of the essence in every aspect of his performance as he balanced each play of register, dynamics and articulation against the preceding -- neglecting no passing inspiration but melding all together into an indissoluble unity of conception.

 For once, here was someone who gave due regard to Chopin's essays in part-writing in the first movement of Op 58. The Scherzo sailed past like a feather borne on the wind while in the sonorous and spacious Adagio he proved himself master of the long line. But it was the Presto which had us all on the edge of our seats at a breakneck speed that made the initiates among us wonder how Riyad Nicolas could possibly keep it up till the end. Nor did he ever let the mounting torrent of sound degenerate into the usual case of keyboard 'assault and battery' -- even more admirable in view of the piano's obvious decline in only the space of a year.

Before the rapturous applauses, he gave but a single encore: Liszt's final Paganini-Etude in an account which I for one have never heard bettered! In but a few weeks' time, this thoroughbred from SulamitaAronovsky's stable of winners will seek his spurs in the Leeds Competition; for today, we his public were only too happy to lend our ears to this paragon of pianistic prestidigitation who, Leeds or no Leeds, will continue to delight discriminating music-lovers for years to come as well as setting a new gold standard for future BPSE Festivals.

 

 

Copyright © 18 August 2009 Malcolm Troup,
London UK