Nicholas Kennedy

Pianist and scholar Dr Nicholas Kennedy completed his undergraduate studies at Sydney Conservatorium of Music, graduating with First Class Honours and the University Medal. He then earned a Master of Music from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, London, where he won the Rose Lawrence Award for academic excellence. As a performer, Nicholas has appeared in Germany, the UK, the USA, and throughout Australia, and was the Open Instrumental Winner of the Australian Concerto and Vocal Competition in 2023. His debut album, featuring Beethoven’s last three piano sonatas, was released in 2021. Recent concerto engagements include Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Modést Orchestra, Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 with Sydney University Symphony Orchestra, and Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with East Sydney Chamber Orchestra. Besides his appearance with the Great Barrier Reef Orchestra, highlights of the 2025 season include Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with Sydney University Symphony Orchestra, a solo recital for Arts Bundanoon, and a duo recital on historical keyboard instruments with international historical performance specialist Neal Peres Da Costa. Nicholas is frequently invited to adjudicate events including Sydney Eisteddfod and the Palladian Intercollegiate Music Competition, and reviews concerts for Limelight magazine. Furthermore, he is deeply involved in music research, with publications in nineteenth-century music analysis and Formenlehre studies. He is a regular presenter at music symposia in Australia and internationally. Nicholas is currently Associate Lecturer in Collaborative Piano and Musicology at Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where he received the PhD in 2024.