Glitter of Waves

Nicholas McCarthy, Belfast International Arts Festival Featured Artist for 2023, joins the Ulster Orchestra to perform two stunning and demanding piano works for left hand only.

Globally-acclaimed pianist Nicholas McCarthy, Belfast International Arts Festival Featured Artist for 2023, was born without his right hand and remains the only one-handed pianist to graduate from the Royal College of Music. Britten’s Diversions are a thrilling set of variations, while Ravel’s Concerto is a jazzy tour-de-force, and both combine playfulness with moving introspection.

Opening and closing this concert are two works with an oceanic theme that have a special place in the Orchestra’s history, as both feature on much-loved-recordings.

This concert is the first in a series of Nicholas McCarthy’s events in Belfast during BIAF. Passionate about inspiring the next generation of musicians, Nicholas has developed a series of workshops around varying themes of leadership, inspiration and inclusion. His leadership talk takes place on 19 October and he gives a Masterclass on 21 October. He will also join the award-winning inclusive ensemble Acoustronic in a concert with Ulster Orchestra at the University of Ulster Atrium on 27 October at 6pm.

• Carlos Kalmar – Conductor
• Nicholas McCarthy – Piano