Kathryn Stott
An English pianist of boundless curiosity, equally at home unearthing forgotten French gems, championing new works, and exploring the passionate world of the tango.
Born 1958 (age 68)·English pianist·Birthday: December 10·Baby Boomers
Biography
Kathryn Stott's career defies the narrow confines of a classical specialist. Since emerging from the Royal Northern College of Music, her approach has been defined by eclectic passion and collaborative spirit. While deeply versed in the core repertoire, she has become a celebrated guide to the nuanced worlds of English and French piano music, bringing a particular luminosity to composers like Fauré and Messiaen. Yet her piano bench is a crowded one: it also holds the complex scores of contemporary composers she champions and the rhythmic fire of Argentine tango, which she performs with authentic gusto. A dedicated professor and festival curator, Stott is as much a musical community-builder as a performer, using her platform to connect audiences to music's vast and varied emotional landscapes.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Kathryn was born in 1958, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Kathryn Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Kathryn's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1971Became a teenager
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Could drive
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 40
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 50
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 60
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 68 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the Artistic Director of the 'Manchester International Piano Festival' for many years.
- Has a long-standing and celebrated duo partnership with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, recording and touring extensively.
- Commissioned and premiered numerous works by contemporary composers including Graham Fitkin and Sally Beamish.
- Curated and performed in the influential concert series 'The Piano' at London's Southbank Centre.
- Holds a professorship at her alma mater, the Royal Northern College of Music, mentoring future generations of pianists.
Did You Know?
She is a dedicated champion of the music of French composer Gabriel Fauré, having recorded his complete works for piano.
She collaborated with Yo-Yo Ma on his 'Songs of Joy & Peace' album and world tour.
Her exploration of tango music led to the album 'Tango Song and Dance' with violinist Daniel Hope.
She studied with the great French pianist and teacher, Yvonne Loriod, who was married to composer Olivier Messiaen.
“The piano is a box of treasures, and I want to open it and show everyone what's inside.”
