Interpreting the piano music of Debussy, Faur頡nd Chabrier

Born in Scotland, Roy Howat enjoys an international reputation as both a pianist and a musical scholar of distinction and finesse. A graduate and former Fellow of Cambridge University, Roy Howat is equally renowned for his lively lectures and master-classes, and holds the position of Keyboard Research Fellow at London's Royal Academy of Music.

As a student Roy Howat made a special study of French music in Paris with Vlado Perlemuter, one of the world's great Chopin interpreters and an associate of Fauré and Ravel. Roy Howat knows much of his concert repertoire from the composers' manuscripts, and is one of the co-founding editors (along with Pierre Boulez) of the New Complete Debussy Edition (Śuvres complčtes de Claude Debussy). He is author of the influential book Debussy in proportion, editor of acclaimed editions of music by Fauré and Chabrier, has contributed chapters to books on Schubert, Chopin, Debussy, Ravel and Bartók, and is presently completing a book about French piano music for Yale University Press.

Roy's concerts and master-classes regularly take him worldwide. Among the more unusual items, in 2001 he toured in Egypt as both pianist and violist with the Sarastro Ensemble. He enjoys a wide repertoire and has premičred works (some discovered by him, others written for him) by composers including Bizet, Chabrier, Debussy, Robin Orr and Wendy Hiscocks. In the last few years his performances of Schubert and Chopin sonatas have included live broadcasts in Switzerland, the USA and Australia. In the 1980s his performances of Bartók's Sonata for 2 pianos & percussion with Erzsébet Tusa, the former duo partner of Ditta Bartók, earned standing ovations. His editorial work on Fauré's First Piano Quintet resulted in a complete re-evaluation of this long-neglected work, and his performances of it with Prague's legendary Panocha Quartet have brought the house down at several festivals, including Cesky Krumlov in 2004 and a sold-out Wigmore Hall in London in 2005.

Roy has appeared as concerto soloist with orchestras including the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchesta, West Australian Symphony Orchestra and Japan's Gunma Symphony Orchestra. His recordings include piano music by Chabrier (including duos with Wendy Hiscocks), Debussy's complete solo piano works (on Tall Poppies), and various CDs of chamber music, including Fauré's complete works for violin and piano (with violinist Alban Beikircher, on BMG/Arte Nova).