The pathway of Rupert Egerton-Smith toward a career as a concert pianist can only be labeled unconventional. Absent are terms like “prodigy” and “wunderkind”.
Instead, words like “intuitive”, “thoughtful”, “technical master”, and perhaps above all, “patient” can comfortably be used over and over again, as performances by Egerton-Smith reveal an artist who is seasoned, has taken the time to consider every possible nuance of the music, and whose faultless technique has led him to becoming the wise and accomplished artist audiences around the world continue to praise.
When asked to describe major landmarks in his career, he does so precisely and without hesitation. “I had always loved performing but was working as a strategy consultant in the legal industry. Ten years ago, a friend told me that I should enter the Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition, and it felt like the right thing to do.
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“As a result of winning the competition, receiving encouragement from Cosmo Buono, (a Steinway Artist and the competition’s Artistic Director), who also arranged my Carnegie Hall debut, I committed to pursuing a concert career.
“I studied as much repertoire as I could, and began the career-building process, pairing it with training in composition, so that I could understand the mindset of great composers as much as possible. Later, after building up my experience with solo, chamber and orchestral appearances, I began performing and composing commercially full-time.”
Never has the axiom “Good things come to those who wait” seemed more appropriate. Heralded by critics and cognoscenti alike, Egerton-Smith appeared at the famed Salle Gaveau in Paris, where his performance was broadcast on the national television network France 2. He would later sell out Berlin’s Philharmonie, before going on to perform at many other prestigious venues throughout Europe.
