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Behind the keys: a conversation with award-winning concert pianist fiachra garvey

  • William Mounir
  • 9 hours ago
  • 6 min read

A journey through fiachra garvey's musical life


Ahead of his upcoming concert at our grand piano showroom on December 4th, we had the pleasure of interviewing multi-award-winning concert pianist Fiachra Garvey.


Fiachra’s musical journey began at just nine years old, when he performed at what would become his favourite concert venue: the National Concert Hall in Dublin. Years later, the same stage awarded him its “Rising Star” prize.


Fiachra completed an M.A. in Music Performance at the Royal Academy of Music, London, following a B.A. in Music Performance and a DipMus in performance and teaching from the Royal Irish Academy of Music.

Concert pianist Tyler Hay at the keyboard of a grand piano. Tyler Hay performs at our grand piano showroom this May.

He went on to win first prize at the 2012 Jaques Samuel Competition in London, subsequently making his debuts at the Fazioli Auditorium in Italy and the prestigious Wigmore Hall in 2013. Fiachra has also been a prizewinner at the AXA Dublin International Piano Competition (Brennan Prize, McCullough Bursary), the EU Piano Competition in Prague (concerto finalist), the Soirées-Concours Internationales de Piano in Collioure, France (Audience Award), and Dublin’s Feis Ceoil (Morris Grant Bursary, Mabel Swainson Award).


Memorable Concerts and Achievements


What’s a memorable concert you’ve presented, and why did it stand out?


It's hard to pick out one concert, but I would say the first time I performed Rhapsody in Blue with conductor John Wilson and the RTE Concert Orchestra in 2011 was a pretty epic moment. It was my first time performing a concerto with John and that particular orchestra, so for many reasons it was a really special occasion and privilege to be invited to do so. I actually performed this work again for the 100th anniversary celebration of Rhapsody in Blue with conductor Stephen Bell in 2024 and the same orchestra again and it was fascinating to reflect on how so many ideas I had for the work had completely transformed in the interim!


What would you consider your greatest achievement as a pianist so far?


For me just surviving in such a competitive industry and being able to wake up and do something I love everyday is really the greatest privilege, and to me that alone is an achievement. If I had to pick out a highlight, it would be establishing the West Wicklow Festival in Ireland which will celebrate its tenth year next year. It was always a dream of mine from an early age to have concerts in this rural part of Ireland, where for me growing up there was no presence of classical music. I'm very proud of what the festival has achieved to date and the exciting future ahead! In terms of a purely performing experience, I would say getting to tour Shostakovich's Piano Concerto no 1 with the Irish Chamber Orchestra and directing from the piano was a particularly exciting adventure!


Influences on My Musical Journey


Who have been the biggest influences on your musical journey - teachers, pianists, or even non-musical figures?


My teachers Liz Leonard, Therese Fahy, Jaques Rouvier, John O'Conor and Hamish Milne have all been monumental influences of course. My parents who sacrificed so much to make it possible for me to access music, and our dear family friend Greta who gave me my first piano, which I still have at home in Wicklow to this day. I was also very fortunate to have the support of various bursaries and scholarships and I couldn't have survived in Dublin, Paris or London without the incredibly generous support of these patrons. 


Growing up on a farm, I would also have to say the influence animals and nature had on my life was profound, and is a big part of who I am as a person and my outlook on life. Such that I commissioned a major new work for children and families this year called Farmyard Carnival, featuring the same instrumentation as Carnival of the Animals, but celebrating animals that children in Ireland and UK would be more familiar with like the sheep, the cow, the horse, the squirrel etc..composed by the supremely talented Paul Rissmann and new poetry by Lucinda Jacob.


The Rigors of Practice


How many hours a day do you tend to practice, and how has that changed over the years?


Oh it really varies, depending on how much repertoire I have to learn, what's coming up and how much time I have in any given day to rehearse. As a ballpark figure though I would say roughly 4 hours a day, sometimes more, sometimes less, and sometimes nothing at all!


Conquering Challenges


What’s a piece that presented particular challenges, and how did you overcome those?


I remember being 13 and my teacher at the time, Therese Fahy, presenting me with Liszt's Mephisto Waltz No 1. I started to learn it and thought this was beyond my comfort level, but I remember how generous Therese was with the amount of extra lessons she gave me. That was a particularly memorable time where I felt I learnt so much about full body technique and having to master so many new movements and feelings at the piano. I expect that period of learning was when I developed more musically than any other period in my life since and opened up a whole new world of understanding to me, vis-a-vis my instrument.


Hidden Gems in Music


Who is an underrated composer that you admire, and which work would you recommend as an example of their best writing?


Medtner I feel is hugely underrated. All his piano sonatas are wonderful!


Calming Pre-Performance Nerves


How do you calm your nerves before going on stage?


I think preparation and how well you know the work you're going to perform has a massive bearing on nerves. If you are super prepared, then nerves add energy and excitement to your performance, whereas if you're not as prepared as you'd like to be, they can have an unwelcome effect!

For me, the best way to overcome nerves is to constantly practice performing, so it just becomes such a familiar feeling you tend not to make performing a really "big deal" moment in your mind. Perspective is also a good calming tool, regardless of what happens on stage it's never life or death! 


Collaborations Across Time


If you could collaborate with any musician - alive or from history - who would it be and what would you play?


Schubert Fantasy in F minor for 4 hands with Arthur Rubinstein / play piano for Beyoncé whilst she sings acoustic versions of her greatest hits!


Misunderstandings in the Life of a Pianist


What do you think is the most misunderstood thing about being a pianist?


Well the most frequent misapprehension put to me is "why do you need to practise if you already know how to play the piano". I suppose I can sort of understand why some non-musicians might think this way, after all, once you can drive a car you don't need to constantly practise to maintain the skill, but sadly piano is very different - pianists tend to always have the most amount of notes to learn and thus we tend to practise more than most other musicians!


Advice for Aspiring Pianists


What advice would you offer to aspiring young pianists at the beginning of their career?


I know we all want to please our teachers and various professors in competitions, masterclasses etc, but the sooner you can be confident being YOU and playing how YOU want to play and forming your own unique voice at the piano, the more fulfilled, valued and satisfied a musician you will be. Also get out of the practise room and reach out to people within the industry, who you admire, for help and support. There's no harm in asking for advice and you'll be pleasantly surprised at the doors encounters like this can open for you. At the end of the day, this business is like any other in terms of the importance of building relationships and contacts.


Fiachra Garvey will be performing at the Grand Passion Pianos showroom on December 4th 2025.


Showroom address:

32 Newman Street, London W1T 1PU


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This post is part of our "Conversations at the Keyboard" series, featuring interviews with distinguished pianists who appreciate the exceptional quality of our Steinway and Pleyel grand pianos.

 
 
 

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