The year had begun with the 60th Wedding anniversary of John and Noretta our founders

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2023/01/08/diamonds-are-forever-the-60th-wedding-anniversary-of-noretta-and-john-founders-of-the-keyboard-trust/

After which the young Malaysian pianist Hao Zi Yoh undertook our annual North Italian Tour of Venice,Padua,Vicenza and this year added Florence :

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2023/01/24/hao-zi-yoh-italian-tour-for-the-keyboard-trust-the-refined-elegance-and-sensibility-of-a-great-artist/

This was the beginning of a very exciting and successful year in which we had a series of concerts in Hazlemere for Stephen Dennison with: Adam Heron ,Thomas Kelly and Milda Daunoraite

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2023/02/12/hhh-concerts-and-the-keyboard-trust-a-winning-combination-of-youthful-dedication-to-art/

The ever generous Stephen had also invited two of our star pianists to perform in his series at the Cranleigh Arts Centre : Victor Maslov and Damir Durmanovic together with our illustrious Artistic Director Leslie Howard who had celebrated his 75th birthday at the Wigmore Hall whilst fighting health problems that have thankfully been resolved.

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2023/04/18/leslie-howard-75th-birthday-concert-an-experience-beyond-compare-the-true-heir-to-agosti-busoni-liszt/

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2023/04/01/victor-maslov-at-cranleigh-arts-a-great-artist-illuminates-and-enriches-our-lives/

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2023/09/05/damir-durmanovic-at-cranleigh-arts-a-musician-speaks-with-simplicity-and-poetry/

An important new series at the National Liberal Club was made possible with the generosity of the Robert Turnbull Trust administered by Rupert Christiansen .The first concert was with Giovanni Bertolazzi on the 5th June – the first of six recitals in the sumptuous surrounds of the Liberal Club thanks also to Yisha Xue’s Asia Circle.

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2023/06/06/giovanni-bertolazzi-liberal-club-en-blanc-et-noir-5th-june-2023-a-star-is-born/

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2023/06/14/adam-heron-at-the-national-liberal-club-an-eclectic-musician-of-refined-taste-and-eloquence/

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2023/09/05/milda-daunoraite-at-the-national-liberal-club-sparks-flying-with-refined-piano-playing-of-elegance-and-simplicity/

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2023/11/07/nikita-lukinov-at-the-national-liberal-club-a-supreme-stylist-astonishes-and-seduces/ Nikita also stood in at the last minute for the Festival en Blanc et Noir also part of the Robert Turnbull Trust

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2023/07/18/lukinov-gramophone-review-review/

A series of concerts at the Harold Acton Library in Florence included the winners of the Busoni Competition who are awarded by the Trust a career e development prize including a London concert – this year’s winner,Arseni Mun,will play at Steinway Hall on the 26th June

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2023/09/02/and-then-there-were-three-the-busoni-competition-the-final-part-1-and-2/

In the meantime Ivan Krpan,Emanuil Ivanov,Chloe Jiyeong Mun and Jaehong Park played in this KT Festival in Florence which was concluded with Minkyu Kim and will include Steinway Hall in Milan thanks to our dearest friend Maura Romano.

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2023/03/01/ivan-krpan-busoni-2017-in-florence-mastery-and-simplicity-at-the-service-of-music/

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2023/03/31/

emanuil-ivanov-premio-busoni-2019-al-british-in-the-harold-acton-library-a-room-with-a-view-of-ravishing-beauty-and-seduction/

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2023/06/07/chloe-jiyeong-mun-in-florence-a-musical-feast-of-whispered-secrets-of-ravishing-beauty/

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2023/11/10/

Jae Hong Park in Florence and Milan – ‘The poetic sensibility and virtuosity of a great musician.’

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2023/12/02/minkyu-kim-in-florence-and-milan/

Our American tour was a triumph for Giovanni Bertolazzi who is fast becoming a star on both sides of the Atlantic with a helping hand from the KT .

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2023/10/16/giovanni-bertolazzi-triumphs-on-the-keyboard-trust-tour-of-usa-october-2023-virginia-washington-philadelphia-delaware-new-york/

Our annual concert on Ischia for the Walton Foundation was given by Pedro Lopez Sales who will also play in our series in the Liberal Club in March

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2023/09/05/pedro-lopez-salas-in-paradise-a-standing-ovation-at-la-mortella-the-walton-foundation/

Concerts in Cyprus for the Pharos Arts Centre with Victor Maslov and a triumph for Damir Durmanovic with star violinist Guido Sant’Anna ……..Ivan Krpan will close the year with a concert on the 14th December.

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2023/04/03/damir-durmanovic-in-cyprus/

Thanks to the generosity of Dr Hugh Mather and his remarkable team at St Mary’s. Perivale we had a true marathon with ten pianists playing in two days :

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2023/10/02/autumn-piano-festival-saturday-30th-september-sunday-1st-october-2003/

This was intended to give a platform to the artists that we had selected to audition for us augmenting the six dates that Steinway Hall very generously give us every year

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2023/02/12/pavle-krstic-intelligence-and-virtuosity-at-the-service-of-music/

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2023/03/09/alexander-doronin-at-steinways-for-the-keyboard-trust/

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2023/04/20/ruben-micieli-triumphs-in-london-for-the-keyboard-trust-at-steinway-hall/

Giulia Contaldo in London at Steinways for the Keyboard Trust

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2023/06/23/gabriele-sutkute-at-steinway-hall-for-the-keyboard-trust/

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2023/10/23/louis-victor-bak-at-steinway-hall-for-the-keyboard-trust-a-review-by-angela-ransley-the-french-connection/

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2023/11/23/ayane-nakajima-at-steinway-hall-noble-grace-and-celestial-lyricism/

Our annual organ recital at Westminster Abbey was given by the Italian organist Efisio Aresu.

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2023/07/25/efisio-aresu-at-westminster-abbey-for-the-keyboard-trust/

It was a wonderful surprise to learn that one of our latest recipients of the Weir Trust, of which we are execeteurs ,won the Gold Medal at the coveted Clara Haskil International Piano Competition .Magdalene Ho ,19,will be playing for us in February in Florence and Milan .

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2023/11/08/magdalene-ho-the-genial-clara-haskil-winner-at-19-takes-leighton-house-by-storm/

Two summer concerts at St Martin in the Fields,thanks to Richard Thomas,with a church full to the rafters for two popular concerts by two of our most charismatic pianists.

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2023/08/16/luca-lione-a-lion-is-let-loose-in-trafalgar-square-with-playing-like-a-composer-as-if-the-music-were-his-own/

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2023/08/02/tyler-hay-reaching-for-the-stars-from-candlelight-to-starlight-a-masterly-display-of-artistry-and-showmanship-at-st-martin-in-the-fields/

Tyler Hay also astonished us all with his mastery of an unknown Brazilian Composer whose works he had learnt especially to play in our collaboration with the Brazilian Embassy in the beautiful ex Cunard Hall in Trafalgar Square

https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2023/06/16/tyler-hay-and-david-zucchi-celebrate-the-work-of-radames-gnattali-at-the-sala-brasil/

There were concerts at the Erin Arts Centre on the Isle of Man with George Todica and Minkyu Kim playing and introducing their programmes to very enthusiastic  audiences 

St Jude’s Prom is an annual engagement and this year Victor Maslov took them by storm.

Tomoki Sakata was chosen to play at the Michelangeli Festival in Cles the town where Noretta has a family home as did Michelangeli.

A harpsichord recital in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with Dominika Maszczynska

There were tours of Germany with Can Arisoy and Milda Daunoraite organised by Dr Moritz von Bredow 

Two concerts thanks to Simone Tavoni at the Festival ‘Sous les Arbres’ in France Lunel – Viel with Ilaria Cavalleri and Thomas Kelly

Simone had played in Viterbo and Roma 3 University and also a concert in the Natural History Museum in Livorno .

Simone Tavoni at Livorno Classica flying high with poetic reasoning and with Dinosaurs overhead

He had also invited the KT to the Kensington and Chelsea Concert Society of which he is a trustee :https://christopheraxworthymusiccommentary.com/2023/11/15/25295/

And so to our last concerts in Cyprus at Pharos Arts Centre with Ivan Krpan and Rome with Evelyne Berezovsky at Roma 3 .Two stars shining brightly to close the year for us .

Nikita Lukinov will open the new year with our Italian tour of Venice/Padua/Abano and Vicenza – starting on the 13 January in Venice and closing in Vicenza on the 16th .

This is just a personal view and there are many concerts that time and space could not accomodate and I hope to expand on this reduced chronicle in the New Year.