Joanna MacGregor CBE is one of the world’s most distinctive musical voices: a concert pianist, curator and conductor whose work consistently crosses stylistic and artistic boundaries. She is Head of Piano at the Royal Academy of Music and Professor at the University of London, and has held major artistic leadership roles including Artistic Director of Dartington International Summer School & Festival (2014–2019) and Artistic Director of the Bath International Music Festival (2006–2012). She has curated wide-ranging multi-arts projects, from the Deloitte Ignite Festival at the Royal Opera House to Aventures+ for the Luxembourg Philharmonie. She also leads the Royal Academy’s annual Summer Piano Festival, bringing together over a hundred young musicians to explore core repertoire alongside collaborations with composers, actors, visual artists, writers and filmmakers. Most recently, she has been appointed Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Brighton Philharmonic as it approaches its centenary.
As a soloist, Joanna has performed in more than 80 countries, appearing with many of the world’s leading conductors, including Pierre Boulez, Sir Colin Davis, Valery Gergiev, Sir Simon Rattle and Michael Tilson Thomas, and with orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Melbourne Symphony, Oslo Philharmonic, Berlin Symphony Orchestra and Salzburg Camerata. She is celebrated for championing new music and has premiered works by composers ranging from Sir Harrison Birtwistle and Django Bates to John Adams and James MacMillan. Her performances regularly take her to major international venues including Wigmore Hall, the Southbank Centre and Barbican in London, as well as the Sydney Opera House, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and the Mozarteum in Salzburg.
A familiar presence on radio and television, Joanna is a regular broadcaster and a frequent performer at the BBC Proms. Renowned for her Bach, she was invited by Sir John Eliot Gardiner to play the Goldberg Variations at the Royal Albert Hall in 2013, broadcast live. She made her conducting debut in 2002 and has since directed concerts with ensembles including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Manchester Camerata and The Hallé. She has also enjoyed a long-standing artistic partnership with the Britten Sinfonia, and has collaborated with a wide spectrum of artists such as soprano Carolyn Sampson, cellist Adrian Brendel, folk musician Kathryn Tickell, Brian Eno and writer Marina Warner. She also appeared in the BBC’s Civilisations series with the Wayne McGregor Dance Company.
Joanna’s discography spans more than forty recordings, from Bach and Scarlatti to jazz and John Cage. She founded her own label SoundCircus in 1998, releasing acclaimed projects including the complete Chopin Mazurkas, Play (Mercury Prize-nominated), Bach’s Goldberg Variations (recorded at the Mozarteum), and Live in Buenos Aires with the Britten Sinfonia. Her jazz recordings include Sidewalk Dances (music by Moondog) and Deep River, inspired by the American Deep South, with saxophonist Andy Sheppard.
In recognition of her contribution to music, Joanna was appointed CBE in 2019. Her honours include honorary doctorates (including from the University of Cambridge) and fellowships from leading institutions. Alongside her performance and leadership work, she contributes widely to cultural life through broadcasting, writing and arts roles, including serving as Chair of the Paul Hamlyn Music Awards and as a Booker Prize Judge.
