ANTHONY HEWITT piano
Part of the 7 Star Arts residency |
Wednesday 25 November 2026Doors: 6.30pm
Concert: 7.30pm Duration: 90 min plus interval Tickets: £30 |
7 Star Arts proudly presents a recital of music for piano by Felix Mendelssohn, Fanny Mendelssohn, Bonis, Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy and Schumann performed by Anthony Hewitt in support of ENO Benevolent Fund.
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ProgrammeFelix Mendelssohn
Rondo Capriccioso Fanny Mendelssohn Wanderlied Bonis Phoebe Beethoven Sonata in C sharp minor Op.27, No.2 “Moonlight” Fryderyk Chopin Rondo à la Mazur, Op.5 Debussy Masques Schumann Carnaval Programme subject to change |
Proudly presented by 7 Star Arts supporting ENO Benevolent Fund
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7 Star Arts presents a diverse range of unique and original productions from the intimate life stories of the great composers to dazzling cutting edge musicians of the younger generation.
7 Star Arts’ popular mixed-genre concerts combine music, words and art to create intriguing and engaging aural and visual experiences. |
"When I was diagnosed with leukaemia life suddenly became fragile and scary, not just for me but for my family. When we needed it most the ENO Benevolent Fund stepped in, giving us help and support so I could concentrate on recovery. I'm now back at work and I've just celebrated 25 years at ENO. Thank you." |
When the music stops...Everyone who attends English National Opera (ENO) will experience the thrill of being transported by a live performance that lingers long in the memory. At ENO a hugely gifted ensemble on stage, in the pit and behind the scenes, contributes a wide range of skills to the audience's total enjoyment. But what happens when life suddenly changes through illness or accident and a performer or technician loses the ability to earn a living? At a stroke this person faces an uncomfortable reminder of how precarious a profession opera can be.
This is where the ENO Benevolent Fund, a registered charity first established almost 60 years ago, can make a significant difference. The Fund aims to alleviate hardship wherever it can in the form of a grant or loan. This may involve tiding a person (and sometimes his or her dependants) over a difficult patch, or providing longer-term support. Beneficiaries may include singers with throat and chest problems, musicians afflicted by loss of sight or hearing, wig and wardrobe technicians whose eyes or fingers are no longer up to the job, or any of the dedicated team which unites to make the Company what it is. Sometimes a one-off grant is given for a piece of equipment to help overcome a disability, or a loan to secure immediate medical advice or treatment. The Trustees who administer the Fund consider each case with great care. |
Anthony Hewitt
Award-winning British pianist Anthony Hewitt is well-known and respected as a musician of integrity, and a pianist of versatility and virtuosity. His performances and recordings have been met with critical acclaim (“a remarkably gifted artist”, The Gramophone), and his unique projects have captured the imagination and admiration of the public.
Anthony has performed internationally with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington D.C, with with orchestras in Germany, Poland, and Russia, and with many of the UK’s leading orchestras including the Royal Philharmonic, English Chamber, Orchestra of the Swan, Manchester Camerata and Royal Northern Sinfonia. Venues in the UK include London’s Royal Festival Hall, Purcell Room, Symphony Hall in Birmingham, and no less than eight recitals at Wigmore Hall.
His discography includes Protégé (Divine Art Records) – the first coupling on disc of the Liszt and Reubke Sonatas – which was praised in International Record Review as “magisterial”, and received a Gramophone recommendation. His debut CD Live at Wigmore Hall was described in BBC Music Magazine as “displaying a fine communicative and poetic musicianship”. His 2015 recording of the Alexander Skryabin Complete Piano Preludes won him plaudits from the press, including from the Guardian which praised it for its “command and understanding”. Most recently his 2022 recording on Naxos of Bowen viola and piano works with violist Yue Yu was rated as being equal to the finest in the catalogue.
He has formed many regular chamber music partnerships including a duo with cellist Thomas Carroll, Dimension Piano Trio, and a two piano duo with Japanese pianist Miki Yumihari. Other collaborations include with Emma Johnson, Jess Gillam, Chloe Hanslip, Martin Roscoe, Jess Dandy, and Daniel Rowland.
In 2004, Anthony founded the Ulverston International Music Festival with the aim of bringing internationally renowned artists and high quality artists and groups to a rural part of England alongside educational work in the community.
He continues to enjoy a diverse musical life as a solo pianist, festival director, professor of piano at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, collaborative chamber musician, jury panelist, and is a frequent visitor to the Far East where he is held in high regard for his engaging master classes for young pianists. He performs and teaches young musicians annually at festivals in Holland, Italy and France.
By far his most unique ‘feet’ to date was under the guise of the ‘Olympianist’, where he cycled 1200 miles from Land’s End to John O’Groats with a piano in his ‘BeethoVan’ and gave a full-length recital at the end of each day. He performed over thirty engagements in total and raised £13,000 for charity. In 2017 he cycled overnight from London to Birmingham Town Hall to perform Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit at 6am – fiendishly difficult to play at the best of times!
Most recently Anthony organised and presented a series of eighteen online piano recitals from St. Mary’s Church Barrow during the 2021 lockdown, raising local spirits and giving professional pianists an artistic lifeline. For the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, the ‘BeethoVan’ made a reappearance on the lanes of the lakes with a mini tour of remote locations as well as a pop-up performance on the cobbled streets of Ulverston, replete with break-dancers! He continues to champion and support outreach activities and causes in the community, and brings a regular concert series to Ulverston Parish Church.
Anthony has performed internationally with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington D.C, with with orchestras in Germany, Poland, and Russia, and with many of the UK’s leading orchestras including the Royal Philharmonic, English Chamber, Orchestra of the Swan, Manchester Camerata and Royal Northern Sinfonia. Venues in the UK include London’s Royal Festival Hall, Purcell Room, Symphony Hall in Birmingham, and no less than eight recitals at Wigmore Hall.
His discography includes Protégé (Divine Art Records) – the first coupling on disc of the Liszt and Reubke Sonatas – which was praised in International Record Review as “magisterial”, and received a Gramophone recommendation. His debut CD Live at Wigmore Hall was described in BBC Music Magazine as “displaying a fine communicative and poetic musicianship”. His 2015 recording of the Alexander Skryabin Complete Piano Preludes won him plaudits from the press, including from the Guardian which praised it for its “command and understanding”. Most recently his 2022 recording on Naxos of Bowen viola and piano works with violist Yue Yu was rated as being equal to the finest in the catalogue.
He has formed many regular chamber music partnerships including a duo with cellist Thomas Carroll, Dimension Piano Trio, and a two piano duo with Japanese pianist Miki Yumihari. Other collaborations include with Emma Johnson, Jess Gillam, Chloe Hanslip, Martin Roscoe, Jess Dandy, and Daniel Rowland.
In 2004, Anthony founded the Ulverston International Music Festival with the aim of bringing internationally renowned artists and high quality artists and groups to a rural part of England alongside educational work in the community.
He continues to enjoy a diverse musical life as a solo pianist, festival director, professor of piano at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, collaborative chamber musician, jury panelist, and is a frequent visitor to the Far East where he is held in high regard for his engaging master classes for young pianists. He performs and teaches young musicians annually at festivals in Holland, Italy and France.
By far his most unique ‘feet’ to date was under the guise of the ‘Olympianist’, where he cycled 1200 miles from Land’s End to John O’Groats with a piano in his ‘BeethoVan’ and gave a full-length recital at the end of each day. He performed over thirty engagements in total and raised £13,000 for charity. In 2017 he cycled overnight from London to Birmingham Town Hall to perform Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit at 6am – fiendishly difficult to play at the best of times!
Most recently Anthony organised and presented a series of eighteen online piano recitals from St. Mary’s Church Barrow during the 2021 lockdown, raising local spirits and giving professional pianists an artistic lifeline. For the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, the ‘BeethoVan’ made a reappearance on the lanes of the lakes with a mini tour of remote locations as well as a pop-up performance on the cobbled streets of Ulverston, replete with break-dancers! He continues to champion and support outreach activities and causes in the community, and brings a regular concert series to Ulverston Parish Church.