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 *In 2024, Riyad will be performing solo piano recitals at various venues in the UK, including Westminster Cathedral Hall for the Chopin Society in London, as well as locations in Hove, Colton, Wales, and Corsham. Additionally, he will perform at Lewis University and Lynn University in the USA.

*In 2023, Riyad will be performing at the Emirate Airline Festival of Literature in Dubai, Kennedy Center in Washington/USA, and Balliol College University in Oxford and other places. Please click on  VIDEOS , his Youtube Channel or social media to watch recent videos ! 

 *In 2022, Riyad had many solo Piano and Chamber Music Recitals at several socities and clubs in the UK and US, and also made his debut the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra at St. John's Smith Square. Please click on  VIDEOS , his Youtube Channel or social media to watch recent videos ! 

 *In 2021, Riyad has been exploring many new compositions by Schubert, especially that this compositions brings him a lot of peace. Please click on VIDEOS , Youtube Channel, social media to watch recent videos related to Schubert! 

* Read recent review about Riyad's solo recital dedicated to Schubert at St Mary's Perviale "Refined beauty in the name of peace" by clicking on Reviews

* In 2020, Riyad will be performing for Bideford Music Club, Dartford Grammar School, Oriental Club and St Nicholas Church at the UK amongst other concerts. 

 

 

*In April 2019, Riyad has joined the stage with Dame Mitsuko Uchida for a concert at Cadogan Hall in London raising £90000 for "Hands up for Syria" organization.

*In August 2018 Riyad won the Grand Slam/ First Prize at the International Liszt Ference Piano Competition. 

*In December 2017 Riyad won the mid-day Manchester audition and will be making his debut at the Birdgwater Hall in Manchester in 2018-2019. 

 *Riyad has recentely been invited to teach Piano at the Junior Department of Guildhall School of Music from September 2017.

*In April 2017 Riyad won the Gold Medal at the Berliner International Piano Competition and will be presented by Manhattan Concert Artists. 

* New Video recording of a Syrian Compositions  by Kareem Roustom and Chopin Nocturne Op.9, No. 3 can be found at VIDEOS

* ITV Border interview Riyad about Syria before performing for Carlisle Music Society and video can be found at VIDEOS

 *In August 2016, Riyad has been sellected as one of 24 finalists to complete at the Busoni International Piano Competition in August 2017.

*In June 2015 The Countess of Munster Trust has exceptionally sellected Riyad as an artist for a 2nd year. He will be giving regular solo recitals  at many prestigious music socities at the UK and abroad, including some concerto performances with orchestras during the next season 2015-2017.

 *In June 2015 Riyad graduated with distinction in Master of Performance from the Royal College of Music .

* Recent reviews from Sunderalnd amd Cockermouth Societies can be found be clicking on Sunderland or Cockermouth

*In June 2014 Riyad has been selected as an artist at The Couness of Munster Concert Scheme.

 *A recent review on 1s prize winner concert of Norah Sande Award "Riyad Nicolas" can be found be clicking on Eastbourne review

*In February 2014 Riyad won the Gold Medal at the prestigious Chappell Medal Piano Competition at the Royal College of Music.

"In July 2013 Riyad won the 1st prize in Norah Sande Award Piano Competition and will be performing in Eastbourne and Cambs in the UK as part of the prize. Please go to "Concerts" section for more updates.

* The success of his Beethoven Emperor Concerto performance with London Chamber Orchestra led to a considerable fund raising of over £150000 for The International Rescue Committe (for Syria) at the UK. Samples of videos can be seen by clicking on VIDEOS

* In February 2012 , Riyad was chosen as one of the Tillett Trust’s Young Artist Platform Scheme. Very recentely in October 2012 he made his debut in Wigmore debut and soon he will be making his debut in Cadogan Hall performing Beethoven 5th Concerto with the London Chamber Orchestra. In addition he will be performing in many prestigious festivals in the UK and also in Spain.

*Riyad is working on his CD recording offer in France being the 1st prize winner of Francaix International Piano Competition. 

*Teaching: In addition to Riyad's performance career, Riyad has an extensive teaching experience having started to teach the Piano from 2007 till now. He is now teaching at the JD of Guildhall School of Music and Dartford Grammar School. For private teaching please email info@riyadnicolas.com




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Reviews - St. James Piccadilly, London 1 December 2010 :
MALCOLM TROUP hears
'the art of the piano reborn'
in Syrian pianist Riyad Nicolas


Almost as much a sign of the times, and holding out no less hope for an eventual cultural rapprochement than Barenboim's West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, is the incomparable Syrian pianistRiyad Nicholas, who was presented on 1 December 2010 by the Beethoven Piano Society of Europe for the second time at St James' Piccadilly, London, UK.

News had been quick to travel, so this time his public had swollen to bursting point. Even without that previous clarion-call, his programme itself was enough to fling down the gauntlet to all Londoners with an eye and an ear for any new entrant to the list of front-rank virtuosi. He began with a lapidarian account of Beethoven's Sonata Op 110 in which each note justified its specific weight in the overall scheme, so that the structural relationship of the glorious fugue to the opening theme of the first movement was never in doubt.


From there, we moved on to one of the finest performances of Ravel's finger-crunching Gaspard de la Nuit which these old ears of mine, accustomed to my teacher Gieseking's, have ever experienced -- in which sheer note-accuracy, so often sacrificed to the keyboard-vaulting demands of Scarbo, went without saying in the blinding unity of conception which held us on tenterhooks from start to finish.


Whether the piano roared like Niagara, inundating us with towering torrents of sounds, or sang out in one burst of unaccompanied song as in Ondine, everything had its part to play in this phenomenal interpretation, hardly giving us quarter to catch our breaths until the last snatched-off tremolandi. Never have the pianist's protean kinesics, the tonal implications of Ravel's giant canvas and the drama of the interpretation been so ideally matched.


But even before we had time to draw breath, this infernal sound-sorceror (who resembles something between a Lowry overgrown stick-man and the young Paganini of legend with long prehensile arms and legs which seem to be reaching out to his instrument as if to tangle it in their tentacles) was bearing down upon us again, this time with Ligeti's typically polymetricFanfares -- in very sooth a fanfare to a whole new redefinition of what pianistic virtuosity is now called upon to be in our 21st century. As he thundered up and down the keyboard, trying out every possible permutation of Ligeti's opening strains, we were left in no doubt that the art of the piano had been born again -- as momentous and apocalyptic as the long-foretold birth of the Prophet might be from the baggy folds of Saracen breeches.

Riyad Nicolas with his teacher SulamitaAronovsky. Photo © 2010 Harry Atterbury
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