Leah Nicholson (2001, United Kingdom) began studying with Galina Sandovskaya in St Petersburg, Russia, before continuing her musical education at Chetham’s School of Music in the UK with John Gough and Dr Murray McLachlan.

In 2018 Leah was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal Schools of Music in Solo Piano Performance Diploma (FRSM with Distinction) and has since won a scholarship to further her studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she is studying with Professor Tessa Nicholson.

She has won top prizes at numerous competitions internationally and throughout the UK, including the 2014 International Chopin Festival in Mazovia, Poland, Polyphonica International Competition in St. Petersburg, Russia, the Scottish International Youth Piano Competition, the Loretto James Waterhouse Piano Competition, EPTA Piano Competition UK and Chetham’s Bösendorfer Piano Competition. Leah is also the youngest ever winner of the Keldwyth Young Musicians Award.

Leah frequently performs in concerts and has appeared in many venues across Europe including the Wigmore Hall in London, Steinway Hall (UK), Sage Gateshead in Newcastle, Bridgewater Hall and Stoller Hall in Manchester, Petrikirche in St. Petersburg, Russia, and Kadriorg Palace in Tallinn, Estonia. As a result of winning Chetham’s Concerto Competition, she performed Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.2 with Chetham’s Orchestra conducted by David Chatterton, and has also performed Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No.1 and Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.3 under the baton of conductors such as Ryan Bancroft and Leon Reimer.

As a developing artist, Leah has performed in masterclasses for renowned artists such as Christopher Elton, Stephen Hough, Noriko Ogawa, John Gough, Ory Shihor, Peter Frankl, Eugen Indjic, Pascal Nemirovsky, Leon McCawley, Martin Roscoe, Anthony Hewitt, Piers Lane and others.