Charles Owen

Biography

Charles Owen began his musical studies at the Yehudi Menuhin School with Seta Tanyel and continued at the Royal College of Music under the guidance of Irina Zaritskaya. While at the RCM he won all the major piano prizes before completing his studies with Imogen Cooper. He received the Silver Medal at the Scottish International Piano Competition (1995) and was a finalist in the 1996 London Philharmonic/Pioneer Young Soloist of the year competition. In 1997 he won the prestigious Parkhouse award in partnership with violinist Katharine Gowers. 

Charles’ concert activities are diverse and extensive, encompassing solo, concerto and chamber music appearances. He has performed in many of Britain’s leading concert halls including the Barbican, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Wigmore Hall and Symphony Hall, Birmingham.  Internationally, he has appeared at the Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall in New York, Vienna’s Musikverein, the Paris Louvre, the St Petersburg Philharmonic and the Moscow Conservatoire. He has collaborated with many outstanding artists including violinists Sarah Chang, Antje Weithaas, Chloe Hanslip, Henning Kraggerud, Jack Liebeck, Renaud Capucon and Catherine Leonard as well as cellists Adrian Brendel, Natalie Clein, Guy Johnston, Paul Watkins and Tim Hugh. He has also performed with theWihan, Vertavo and Vogler Quartets. A regular broadcaster for BBC Radio 3, Classic FM and ABC Australia, Charles has performed with celebrated orchestras including the Philharmonia, Royal Scottish National, English Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Lodz Filharmonia and the Moscow State Academic Symphony. Regular festival appearances include the Perth International Music Festival in Western Australia, the Vogler Spring Festival in County Sligo, the Oxford Chamber Music Festival, the Elverum Festival in Norway and the ‘Homecoming Festival’ in Moscow. 

As a recitalist and chamber musician he has played for numerous concert societies and established festivals including Bath, Cheltenham, Chester, Harrogate and the Worcester Three Choirs Festival. 

He has recorded for EMI Classics for Pleasure and SOMM recordings. His first solo disc for Somm, featuring the piano music of Leos Janácek is listed as a “key” recording in the 2004 edition of The Penguin Good CD Guide. His highly acclaimed disc of works by Poulenc was selected as Editor’s Choice in the June 2004 edition of Gramophone and was subsequently nominated for a Classical Brit Award in 2005. His most recent recording for EMI Classics for Pleasure, with Natalie Clein, of Cello and Piano sonatas by Brahms and Schubert won a Classical Brit Award in 2005.