Rupert Egerton-Smith
Recently described as a “pianist and musician of the highest calibre” (New York Concert Review), Rupert Egerton-Smith’s path to becoming a concert pianist is unconventional and also remarkable.
He did not follow a typical musical path reading history at Oxford and then later obtaining an MBA at London Business School. For ten years he worked as an international strategy consultant, playing the piano only occasionally. After rediscovering some of his early recordings however, he entered and then won a number of competitions, including the Bradshaw & Buono International which led to a performance in Carnegie Hall. In 2012 The UK Daily Telegraph reviewed his “technically stunning” debut CD which included Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit, noting that “as things stand, he has a day job. Not in music. And however you describe him, he’s worth hearing”.
Music has always been Rupert’s lifeblood and he continued to experience such an intense pull to focus on his musical passions that he decided in 2020 to leave corporate life and throw himself into a new career as pianist and composer realising it was now or never.
He has performed in many major venues internationally including Paris’ Salle Gaveau, the Berlin Philharmonie, and London’s Cadogan Hall. John Lubbock OBE appointed him Artist-in-Residence at the Orchestra of St John’s from 2022-26, describing him as a “collaborative performer of the greatest sensitivity”. His many performances with the OSJ in Dorchester Abbey included concertos by Beethoven, Mozart, Greig, Rachmaninov, and Schumann. A review of his performance of Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.1 with Sinfonia Smith Square and Simon Over commended his “flair and passion combined with the most subtle touch”.
In February 2024 he was invited to be guest soloist for HRH Queen Camilla at Salisbury Cathedral performing with the Band and Bugles of The Grenadier Guards and Band of the Rifles Regiment as part of a 100th anniversary celebration of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. He returned to Carnegie Hall in November 2024 by invitation of the Alexander & Buono Foundation, which has consistently supported his career, and received a standing ovation for his performance of Agosti’s transcription of Stravinsky’s The Firebird. In March 2025 Steinway & Sons added him to their prestigious roster of Steinway Artists.
Passionate about innovative and themed programming in his solo work, he creates a unique musical experience for audiences through narrated performance, describing and contextualising pieces as well as performing them.
He composes for film and other visual media and has produced music for Disney, the BBC, Channel 4 as well as international music agencies.