ABOUT

Heralded for performances of “spectacular musicianship and technical brilliance” (The Scotsman), “evangelizing urgency” (International Record Review) and “freshness and lucidity” (The Herald Scotland), James Willshire has performed at the BBC Proms, live on BBC Radio 3, and at the Royal Festival Hall, Barbican, Bridgewater Hall, St John’s Smith Square, Purcell Room, Glasgow City Halls, Queens Hall Edinburgh, Perth Concert Hall, St George’s Bristol, Caird Hall and the Fairfield Halls.

James is a committed advocate of contemporary music, giving world premiere performances of works by Ronald Stevenson, John McLeod, Errollyn Wallen, Rory Boyle, Nicola LeFanu, Robin Holloway, Thomas Simaku, Stuart MacRae, Electra Perivolaris, Jay Capperauld, Jia Chai, Lynne Plowman, David Lancaster, Michael Parkin, Ailís Ní Ríain, Rylan Gleave and David Power. As pianist of the Hebrides Ensemble James has collaborated with singers Ailish Tynan, Joshua Ellicott, Roderick Williams, Susan Bullock, Lester Lynch, Charlotte Hellekant, Marcus Farnsworth and Michael Mayes. His work as chamber musician also includes performances with James Gilchrist, Rosalind Ventris, and the Carducci and Solstice Quartets.

As a recording artist James has been highly acclaimed, with his most recent disc a 2024 recording of the chamber music by Helen Grime with the Hebrides Ensemble. His double-disc recording of Ronald Stevenson’s solo piano music was described as “a major achievement” and awarded an IRR Outstanding by International Record Review and 5 star review from Classical Music magazine. Gramophone pronounced as “uncompromising” and “all-encompassing” his 2017 recording with Fraser Langton of music for Clarinet and Piano by Rory Boyle, and his recording of the piano music by David Jennings was chosen as one of MusicWeb International’s Recordings of the Year 2013.

In 2018 James performed the complete cycle of the Debussy’s solo piano music. These concerts, described by The Herald Scotland as “an unmissable opportunity to hear these demanding pieces live”, included complete cycles in Glasgow and Edinburgh. As concerto soloist he has performed with Catherine Larsen-Maguire, Benjamin Zander, Rebecca Miller, Michael Christie, and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, National Youth Orchestra of Scotland, and the Calcutta Chamber Orchestra. Festival appearances include performances given by James at the 2023 Edinburgh Festival, The Piano Festival at Glasgow Royal Concert Halls, the Lichfield, Cheltenham and Winchester Festivals, Lammermuir Festival, the Hebden Bridge Piano Festival, the Kilkenny Arts Festival, the Cantilena Festival, the Roman River Festival, ‘Il Festival di Londra’, the Victoria International Arts Festival and the Paxos International Festival.

Future concerts include debut recitals at Wigmore Hall in 2027 with the Hebrides Ensemble.

James is a member of the Keyboard Department faculty at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.