Biography

Although Perth’s Alasdair Beatson is the first classical musician in his family, our guess is that with an aunt who was a member of the 70’s iconic pop group ‘New Seekers’, musical star quality is in his genes.

Alasdair is a stellar pianist. He began his musical tuition at the Aberdeen Music School, where he won a scholarship. At the age of 18, he went to the Royal College of Music as a Foundation Scholar and four years’ later continued his studies at Indiana University with the famous pianist Menahem Pressler. Along the way, he has won a clutch of prestigious prizes, including the Making Music Award for Young Artist and 2nd prize in the China Shanghai International Piano Competition and has performed with some of the world’s top musicians and ensembles.

Alasdair is one of the two most talented students his music tutor at RCM has encountered, and his playing is considered to be inspirational. He writes of Alasdair, “I have never heard him give a performance which was not memorable and arresting, casting new light on the repertoire.” Working at the highest professional level, Alasdair needs permanent access to a piano that will allow him to explore and develop his playing. He is expected to become one of the great pianists on the international stage.

For more information about Alasdair, see www.alasdairbeatson.com.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award made a substantial contribution towards the purchase of a piano.

Since the Award