Adam Swayne

Pianist, composer and musicologist Adam Swayne is Deputy Head of Keyboard Studies at the Royal Northern College of Music. He has performed in festivals throughout the UK and abroad, including on BBC Radio and Television and at the BBC Proms. His “blistering” first solo CD was selected as an Instrumental Monthly Choice by BBC Music Magazine, and it also received two nominations at the 2019 Opus Klassik awards in Germany. His “powerful” second CD, a commemoration of 20 years since 9/11, was launched at the Wigmore Hall and played on BBC Radio 3. The Times described him as “a pianist of formidable technique and high intelligence” and the Evening Standard as “an ideal blend of panache and subtlety”.

Adam is the pianist for the Riot Ensemble who recently performed at Kettle’s Yard (in March 2026). His research interests focus on the concertos of Beethoven’s student Ferdinand Ries, including a rediscovered manuscript published for the first time by A-R Editions.

Adam studied at the University of Manchester and the RNCM before completing his doctorate as a Fulbright Scholar at Northwestern University in the USA. His principal teachers were Ursula Oppens, John Gough and John Casken.