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When he plays Saint-Sa\u00ebns at this year\u2019s The Last Night of the Proms<\/strong><\/a>, it will be the 31st time he has appeared at the world\u2019s greatest classical music festival. But who is Stephen Hough?<\/p> Stephen Hough is one of the world\u2019s greatest pianists. Now 62 years old, he has been gracing the world\u2019s concert halls and recording studios for more than four decades. <\/p> Famed for his remarkable virtuosity and versatility, his repertoire ranges from Mozart<\/strong><\/a> and Hummel to contemporary composers. Some might associate him primarily with Romantic composers such as Rachmaninov<\/strong><\/a> and Saint-Sa\u00ebns<\/strong><\/a>, but he prefers not to be pigeon-holed. <\/p> And talking of versatility\u2026 he is also a composer, published author and accomplished artist.<\/p> Hough was born on 22 November 1961 and is currently 62 years old.<\/p> Stephen Hough was born and brought up in Cheshire, England. He studied at Chetham\u2019s School of Music and then at the Royal Northern College of Music, both in nearby Manchester. He then crossed the Atlantic to continue his studies at the Juilliard School<\/a> <\/strong>in New York City.<\/p> In 1978, when he was 16 years old, he won the piano final of the first ever BBC Young Musician of the Year<\/a> <\/strong>competition. Though he lost out to trombonist Michael Hext in the grand final, further success would soon come in the Naumburg Competition in New York the following year. <\/p> By the mid-1980s, the now 20-something pianist had already enjoyed his first appearance at the BBC Proms (in 1985) and also began his recording career, performing Hummel piano concertos with the English Chamber Orchestra for Chandos Records in 1987.<\/p> On 23 July 1985, Hough joined the Hall\u00e9 Orchestra<\/a> <\/strong>and conductor Stanis\u0142aw Skrowaczewski for Liszt<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s Piano Concerto No. 1. <\/p> His many return visits to the Royal Albert Hall<\/a><\/strong> since then have seen him play concertos by composers including Mozart, Brahms<\/a><\/strong>, Bart\u00f3k<\/a><\/strong> and Beethoven<\/a><\/strong>. In 2009, his celebration of Tchaikovsky<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s works for piano and orchestra saw him appear at the BBC Proms five times in one season, including both the First<\/a><\/strong> and Last Night.<\/p> Hough\u2019s appearance at this year\u2019s Last Night will be comparatively brief, as he will be playing just the Andante<\/em> movement from Saint-Sa\u00ebns<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s Piano Concerto No. 5 \u2018Egyptian\u2019. <\/p> Should you want to hear more of him in that work, however, he has recorded the complete work, plus all four of Saint-Sa\u00ebns\u2019s other piano concertos, with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra for the Hyperion label. <\/p>Who is Stephen Hough?<\/h2>
How old is Stephen Hough?<\/h2>
Where is Stephen Hough from?<\/h2>
When did Stephen Hough become famous?<\/h2>
What did he play in his first appearance at the BBC Proms?<\/h2>
What will Stephen Hough be playing at this year\u2019s Last Night of the Proms?<\/h2>