"Lost and Found" | William Bracken | Lunchtime Recital

Each of these works had been lost for years before being discovered: a gem by J. S. Bach hidden in a municipal archive, a revelation of Fanny Mendelssohn's vision as a composer, wrongly attributed to her brother for over 180 years, and an unjustly neglected masterpiece by Liszt.

This recital is produced by the charity Promote Our Pianists working together with Kettner Concerts to offer live performances to outstanding young pianists.

"...courage and stamina and musicality in abundance...
...an ability to hold an audience in the palm of his hand..."
Ivan Hewett, The Telegraph

"intelligent curiosity and expressive flair...
a monumental performance..."
Tim Parry, International Piano Magazine

"Formidable..."
Richard Bratby, The Spectator

“A fine and confident pianist, a questing mind, musical maturity, great integrity — go and listen!”
Dame Imogen Cooper

The Artist

Pianist William Bracken's creative voice stems from a deep fluency with the language of music itself, dissolving musical boundaries through an improvisational state of mind, curiosity, and acute contextual awareness. A visionary musician with a vast repertoire of classical masterworks and contemporary works, and equally at home in jazz and improvised music, the Wirral-born pianist has won numerous awards, including 1st Prize at the 2022 Liszt Society International Piano Competition, 1st Prize, Press Prize and Audience Prize at the 2023 Euregio Piano Award International Piano Competition, 2nd Prize at the 2023 Livorno International Piano Competition, and 3rd Prize at the 2024 UniSA International Piano Competition. He currently holds a position as a member of teaching staff in the Centre for Creative Performance and Classical Improvisation at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, and is the recent founder and artistic director of the Port Sunlight International Piano Festival.

Concert highlights include concerto performances at the Barbican, Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, St John’s Smith Square, and recitals at Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall in New York, Chipping Campden Festival, LSO St Luke’s, and Wigmore Hall, where he was praised by The Telegraph for his “courage and stamina and musicality in abundance” and “an ability to hold an audience in the palm of his hand.” He is also active as a core member of the improvisation group Ensemble+ and bandleader of the Will Bracken Trio.

Bracken has collaborated with conductors such as Nicholas Collon (Aurora Orchestra) and Domingo Hindoyan (Royal Liverpool Philharmonic), and his chamber partners have included Michael Barenboim, Angela Hewitt, and Jonathan Aasgaard. During his studies in London, William was made a scholar of the Imogen Cooper Music Trust, which involved participating in a week of intensive study in the south of France with Dame Imogen Cooper. He also won a full scholarship to attend the Aspen Music Festival and School in Colorado, USA, in 2022, studying with Hung-Kuan Chen and Fabio Bidini.

The Venue

Designed by Alfred Waterhouse and completed in 1887, the National Liberal Club's Italianate building on the Embankment of the river Thames is the second-largest club-house built in London — located at Whitehall Place, close to the Houses of Parliament and Trafalgar Square. Built on a foundation of inclusivity, the NLC is proud to be one of the most welcoming clubs in London. The David Lloyd George Room is home to our concerts, with a spectacular Steinway Model D piano for artists and audiences to enjoy.