This performance forms part of the Hattori Foundation early evening concert series. This is a very friendly series, in true Salon-style, where guests are invited to enjoy a pre-concert drink included in the ticket price, a one-hour performance (without interval) and then meet the performers and Trustees in the Club's bar after each recital for complimentary refreshments.
Programme (60 minutes, no interval)
Frank Proto
A Carmen Fantasy Robert Schumann Fünf Stücke im Volkston Antonín Dvořák Going Home (based on the 2nd movement of his 9th symphony) George Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue |
The Hattori Foundation was established as an Educational Trust by the Hattori Family and granted charity status in 1992.
The aim of the Foundation in the field of music is to encourage and assist exceptionally talented young instrumental soloists or chamber ensembles who are British Nationals or resident in the UK and whose talent and achievements give promise of an international career. |
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Praised for his “astounding virtuosity” , American double bassist Levi Andreassen is a sought-after soloist and chamber musician, driven by his desire to push the limits of his instrument.
Recent and upcoming highlights feature concerto performances with the London Mozart Players and the Young Musicians String Orchestra in Turin, Italy, and solo appearances at Wigmore Hall, BBC Radio 3 - In Tune, the Inner Parliament Chamber for the Temple Music Foundation, Sandringham House in Norfolk, Leighton House for the Kensington & Chelsea Music Club, and a shared recital at St John’s Waterloo with Melvyn Tan. Further engagements include Swaledale Festival, Norwich Assembly Hall, Petworth Music Festival, Bob Boas’ series Music at Mansfield, Riverhouse Barn, Beaminster Music Festival, Concerts at Cratfield, as well as recitals for Kirker Music Festival at Reid’s Hotel, Madeira, The William Walton Foundation at La Mortella, Ischia, and The Grand Hotel in Eastbourne. Chamber music appearances feature performances with leading groups such as Ensemble 360 for a Schubertiade at the Castle Hotel in Taunton, Gresham's 2026 Summer School in Norfolk, Broughton Castle in Oxfordshire, and St Cross, Winchester. Levi’s collaborations also include the Fibonacci Quartet, Carducci Quartet and Charles Owen, Piatti Quartet, Leonore Trio, Marryat Players, Kleio Quartet and Jams Coleman, Lumas Winds at Ilkley Concert Club, as well as the Vaughan Williams Ensemble of which Levi is a founding member. Additional festival appearances include Corbridge Festival in 2026 alongside members of the Gould Piano Trio and clarinettist Robert Plane, the London Chamber Music Series with Sacconi Quartet, and performances at Stadtpalais Liechtenstein in Vienna. Outside of performance, Levi has recently taken on the role of Consultant Curator at the North Norfolk Music Festival from 2026 onwards, working closely with Co-Directors Simon Rowland-Jones and Barry Cheeseman. Furthermore, Levi took part in the opening concert of the 2026 Summer Festival with a performance at The Marble Hall at Holkham. As a recording artist, Levi has been featured on Orchid Classics’ album “Around the World in 80 Minutes” in duo with bassist Nathan Perry, as well as RVW’s 5 Mystical Songs alongside Roderick Williams, the Sacconi Quartet, and William Vann for Albion Records. A laureate of numerous international competitions, Levi was recently awarded 1st Prize at the 2025 Haslemere International String Competition as well as 1st Prize at the 2023 International Society of Bassists Youth Solo Competition, 2023 London Classical Music Competition and the 2022 Caneres International Competition. Additionally, Levi was a winner of the Charles R. Hall Competition in 2018, where he had the opportunity to perform Bottesini’s Concerto No. 2 with the Missouri Philharmonic Orchestra, an ensemble with whom he now regularly collaborates. Levi is also the recipient of a full scholarship for the 2025 and 2026 Keshet Eilon Mastercourse held in Altea, Spain, becoming the first double bassist to attend the course. As an orchestral musician, Levi has worked closely with conductors such as Vasily Petrenko, the late Sir Andrew Davis, Sakari Oramo, Chloe van Soeterstede, and Jac van Steen in renowned venues such as the Royal Albert Hall for the BBC Proms in 2024, Royal Festival Hall and Cadogan Hall in London. Levi is currently completing his Bachelor of Music with Caroline Emery at the Royal College of Music in London as a Neville Wathan Full Scholar, after having graduated from the Yehudi Menuhin School in 2023. Levi is generously supported by the Hattori Foundation, and plays on an 1892-1893 Carlo Loveri double bass, on a long-term loan by an anonymous supporter. |
Photo by Holly Cade Photography
Thomas Luke came to national attention after winning the Keyboard Category of BBC Young Musician in 2020. Driven by a desire for discovery and authentic human connection, he moves freely between traditional concert repertoire including solo, chamber and concerto works, his own compositions and expansive multi-piano arrangements. His performances have featured on national radio and television, and have taken him to stages worldwide, including London’s Wigmore Hall, Leipzig’s Weißes Haus, the Xiamen International Conference Center Concert Hall and the Van Cliburn Concert Hall in Fort Worth.
Hailed as a ‘trailblazer’ by Steinway & Sons, Thomas made history by performing the inaugural Steinway SpirioCast between two UK institutions. He was recently awarded the Prix Monti at the 2025 Piano Campus International Competition and has been recognised by the Vienna International Music Competition for ‘outstanding talent, remarkable musicality and a very accomplished technique’. In June 2024, he was selected as one of just 24 Young Artists globally to attend the PianoTexas International Festival, and has received guidance from such eminent artists as Lang Lang, Sir Stephen Hough, Arie Vardi and Stephen Kovacevich.
In 2024, Thomas launched Many Pianos - a series of layered arrangements for four or more pianos, blending digital and acoustic elements. His first video, a cover of Jacob Collier’s Little Blue, was recognised by Collier himself and has since reached thousands of listeners online. Music from Thomas’ debut album of original works, See Me Now, released in January 2026, has drawn praise for its ‘language of mellifluous beauty and ingenious pianistic understanding’ and was praised by Interlude music magazine as ‘an impressive debut that leaves one wanting to hear more from this confident and imaginative musician’.
Born on the Isle of Wight, Thomas’ musical spark was lit in the room under his grandparents’ stairs, playing keyboard games on the organ with his grandfather. He began piano lessons with Jude Harvey aged four, continuing studies with Eleanor Hodgkinson at the Junior Royal Academy of Music. He now studies with Vanessa Latarche at the Royal College of Music, receiving further mentorship from Alim Beisembayev, as the Margaret Mount Scholar supported by the Cotes-Burgan Scholarship. Thomas is grateful to be the recipient of a Drake Calleja Scholarship for 2026-2027.
Hailed as a ‘trailblazer’ by Steinway & Sons, Thomas made history by performing the inaugural Steinway SpirioCast between two UK institutions. He was recently awarded the Prix Monti at the 2025 Piano Campus International Competition and has been recognised by the Vienna International Music Competition for ‘outstanding talent, remarkable musicality and a very accomplished technique’. In June 2024, he was selected as one of just 24 Young Artists globally to attend the PianoTexas International Festival, and has received guidance from such eminent artists as Lang Lang, Sir Stephen Hough, Arie Vardi and Stephen Kovacevich.
In 2024, Thomas launched Many Pianos - a series of layered arrangements for four or more pianos, blending digital and acoustic elements. His first video, a cover of Jacob Collier’s Little Blue, was recognised by Collier himself and has since reached thousands of listeners online. Music from Thomas’ debut album of original works, See Me Now, released in January 2026, has drawn praise for its ‘language of mellifluous beauty and ingenious pianistic understanding’ and was praised by Interlude music magazine as ‘an impressive debut that leaves one wanting to hear more from this confident and imaginative musician’.
Born on the Isle of Wight, Thomas’ musical spark was lit in the room under his grandparents’ stairs, playing keyboard games on the organ with his grandfather. He began piano lessons with Jude Harvey aged four, continuing studies with Eleanor Hodgkinson at the Junior Royal Academy of Music. He now studies with Vanessa Latarche at the Royal College of Music, receiving further mentorship from Alim Beisembayev, as the Margaret Mount Scholar supported by the Cotes-Burgan Scholarship. Thomas is grateful to be the recipient of a Drake Calleja Scholarship for 2026-2027.