Michael was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1983. His interest in music began at the age of seven when he started learning the piano, soon followed by cello lessons at the City of Belfast School of Music. A varied education took Michael from Belfast to Dublin, Cambridge and ultimately London.
His performing career encompasses solo recital, concerto and chamber music appearances and he enjoys playing both core and contemporary repertoire. See the professional biographies below for more detailed information (English and French).
[click here to download high resolution publicity photos]
***Biography for professional purposes***
Belfast-born Michael McHale has established himself as one of Ireland’s leading pianists and has developed a busy international career as a solo recitalist, concerto soloist and chamber musician.
He has performed as a soloist with the Minnesota, Hallé, Moscow Symphony and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestras, the London Mozart Players, and all five of the major Irish orchestras, and performed at the Tanglewood Festival, Wigmore Hall, London, Berlin Konzerthaus, Suntory Hall, Tokyo, Lincoln Center, New York, Symphony Hall, Boston and Pesti Vigadó in Budapest. 2016/17 performances include concerto performances with the City of London Sinfonia and the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra in Florida, and a début concert at the Tokyo Spring Festival. Future engagements include a début in the Dublin National Concert Hall's International Concert Series performing the Schumann Concerto with the City of London Sinfonia.
His critically acclaimed solo album, The Irish Piano, was released in 2012 by RTÉ lyric fm and selected as ‘CD of the Week’ by the critic Norman Lebrecht. More recent solo releases include Schubert: Four Impromptus on Ergodos, Miniatures and Modulations on Grand Piano, and a first orchestral album, Irish Piano Concertos, featuring works by John Field and Philip Hammond with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and conductor Courtney Lewis, supported by a Major Individual Award from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. His discography also includes releases on Delos, Nimbus Alliance, Champs Hill, Lorelt, Louth CMS and seven duo recital albums on Chandos with clarinettist Michael Collins. Upcoming projects include a recording of Strauss’s ‘Burleske’ with the BBC Symphony Orchestra on Chandos, and a first album with the McGill/McHale Trio on the Cedille label, featuring world premiere recordings and special narrations by Oscar-winning actor Mahershala Ali.
Winner of the Terence Judd / Hallé Award in 2009, Michael was also awarded the Brennan and Field Prizes at the 2006 AXA Dublin International Piano Competition, the 2005 Camerata Ireland/Accenture Award, and in 2016 a Major Individual Award from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. He studied at Cambridge University and the Royal Academy of Music, and his teachers and mentors include John O’Conor, Réamonn Keary, Christopher Elton, Ronan O’Hora and Barry Douglas.
Michael collaborates regularly with Sir James Galway, Michael Collins, Patricia Rozario, Dame Felicity Lott, the McGill/McHale Trio and Camerata Pacifica. www.michaelmchale.com
***En français***
Le pianiste irlandais Michael McHale a étudié à l’université de Cambridge et à la « Royal Academy of Music » de Londres. Ses professeurs et mentors sont entre autres John O’Conor, Christopher Elton, Barry Douglas et Ronan O’Hora.
Il a gagné deux prix spéciaux au « AXA Dublin International Piano Competition 2006 » et le premier prix et le prix du public lors de la finale du « Terence Judd/Hallé Award 2009 », un concours très prestigieux au Royame-Uni (Stephen Hough et Nikolai Lugansky ont reçu ce prix auparavant).
Michael a joué au festival « Tanglewood » aux Etats-Unis, au Konzerthaus à Berlin (sur les ondes de la Deutschlandradio Kultur), au Pesti Vigadó à Budapest et au Wigmore Hall à Londres.
Ses apparitions avec orchestre incluent quatre concerti de Mozart avec le « Hallé Orchestra » (notamment le concerto pour deux pianos avec Barry Douglas sur les ondes de BBC Radio 3), Beethoven et Schumann avec l’ « Ulster Orchestra », Franck et Rachmaninov avec le « RTE National Symphony Orchestra » à Dublin, Gershwin avec le « Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra » et Rachmaninov avec le « Moscow Symphony Orchestra ».
Il se produit régulièrement avec le flûtiste Sir James Galway (cette année aux Etats-Unis, en Asie et en Suisse), la soprano indienne Patricia Rozario et le clarinettiste anglais Michael Collins (cette année Chandos sort leur premier enregistrement ensemble des sonates de Poulenc, Saint-Saëns etc.).
Visitez www.michaelmchale.com pour découvrir plus des renseignements.
“…Comment est-ce possible que le pianiste irlandais de 25 ans Michael McHale puisse jouer avec l’aisance et l’inspiration de, par exemple, Lang Lang, mais qu'on ne le connaisse pas? …Michael McHale reste la découverte de la soirée…”
Christiane Peitz, Der Tagesspiegel
“…La bravoure dont Michael McHale a fait preuve lors de son récital et en particulier dans la musique de Franz Liszt a provoqué une ovation prolongée … Il a contrôlé les thèmes puissants et les points culminants étourdissants avec délectation et habileté…”
Daniel Ginsberg, Washington Post