With more than 80 albums to his credit, reflecting an enormous variety of genres and styles, John Lenehan ranks as one of the most versatile pianists on the classical scene today. This breadth of repertoire has led to his popularity on Spotify with over a quarter of a million monthly listeners worldwide. Praised by the New York Times for his “great flair and virtuosity” and the (London) Times – “a masterly recital”, John Lenehan has appeared in concerts throughout the World from Abu Dhabi to Zurich and from Aberdeen to Zimbabwe.
As a soloist he has appeared with orchestras such as the London Symphony at the Barbican and the Royal Philharmonic in the Royal Albert Hall. John Lenehan has also collaborated with some of the leading instrumentalists of our time and is recognised as an outstanding and versatile chamber musician.
His many recordings include piano recitals and concertos as well as duo sonatas, chamber music and jazz. A four-disc survey of John Ireland’s piano music received great critical acclaim including a Gramophone award, and other solo recordings include three discs for Sony Classical of minimalist piano works and a disc of Erik Satie (for Classic FM). Most recently he has recorded albums with Tasmin Little and with the Rossetti Ensemble as well as concertos by Mozart (K.467) and Beethoven (Emperor) with the National Symphony Orchestra.
John Lenehan also composes, with works published by Faber, Novello, and Schotts. His Fantasy on Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker has recently been recorded by the Budapest Symphony Orchestra. He has written and arranged for a long list of soloists and orchestras including Emma Johnson, Nigel Kennedy, Tasmin Little, Nicola Benedetti, Leonidas Kavakos and Yuja Wang, the BBC Concert Orchestra, RPO and the Hong Kong Philharmonic. Last year (2021) his work was heard in the Bastille Day celebrations in Paris (Orchestre de Paris) and the last night of the proms (BBC SO). John Lenehan’s most recent composition is a piano concerto “The Legend of Maritime Silk Road” to be premiered in China in 2023. His interest in the combination of music and film has been long-standing. As director of “Sounds for Silents” he has written and arranged more than 20 film scores, which were performed throughout the UK in Festivals such as Aldeburgh, Cheltenham, Brighton, and Harrogate as well as in Italy, Germany, Norway and Australia. He continues to present film and music programmes, reviving the art of the improvising pianist – the most recent including a tribute to the roaring twenties.