A passion for the piano

Meeting Ivan Kiwuwa is an extraordinary experience. At just 23 years of age, he oozes maturity and self-assurance, and talks about his music with passion and authority. His enthusiasm is infectious, and it is impossible not to be charmed by this young man, who is clearly hovering on the cusp of international stardom.

His recital at the Jacqueline du Pré Music Building next weekend is part of the New Masters Series, a special concert promotion by international promoter Eric Heliczer, in association with the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. The idea is to offer performance opportunities at major venues to talented young musicians.

For Ivan, this talent took root and blossomed in a most unlikely setting. He was born in Uganda in 1983, into a country steeped in traditional African music with little western influence. But he was lucky enough to live close to Kampala Cathedral, one of the few places in Uganda that has a tradition of serious classical music, and he joined the choir at the age of eight, later rising to head chorister.

"I joined the choir mainly because my friend was already a choirboy there," he recalled. "It's one of the very few places where this kind of music happens due to the legacy left by the missionaries. So that's where the classical tradition is, and people go there to practise serious music."

When Ivan's voice broke at the age of 13, he turned to the piano; initially out of curiosity, rather than a conviction that this was the instrument for him.

"I guess every child would be curious at seeing other people playing something," he said. "But, for me, it was made more intense by needing something else to do. I had to grab hold of something and the piano was an instrument I knew about, so I thought I'd try it."

Ivan began studying with Fiona Carr, and a year later took up the violin as well, studying with Isabel Turner. But, despite the fact that he clearly had a natural talent, he received surprisingly little encouragement from family and friends.

"At the beginning, as a choirboy, I had a bit of encouragement from my family, but later on, when I decided to learn and take the piano seriously, it was the opposite, I have to say. It was discouraged because it's not recognised; it's not in the culture.

"My family thought this was taking time out of my normal school and hence was destroying my future, a view which was strongly shared by my school teachers. So I had an uphill struggle. My family even now don't understand what I do."

Ivan was soon to prove them all wrong. Before he reached his 16th birthday, his talent had been spotted at a masterclass with Maxim Vengerov, and he made his concert debut in Germany shortly afterwards, performing Bach's Double Violin Concerto with Vengerov and the Essen Philharmonic Orchestra. The offer of a full scholarship to Wells Cathedral School swiftly followed and he remembers his time there with great fondness.

"Wells is one of the four major music specialist schools in Britain but it has a strong academic side as well. It was a good atmosphere for me and it was interesting because obviously it was such a different culture. It was also my first ever boarding school.

"I remember for the first few days, every time I woke up I thought, this is a dream - it's a long dream. Every day there was something new, and it was very intense, taking it all in."

In 2003, Ivan was awarded a full scholarship to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he is now in his final year as an undergraduate and he has already accepted a place on a post-graduate masters course.

He has won numerous prizes and given solo recitals at the Purcell Room and at the National Theatre in Nairobi. Now Oxford beckons. So what does he have in store for local audiences?

"I will be playing Impromptus Op.90 by Schubert, piano sonata in E major by Mendelssohn and piano sonata in A flat major by Beethoven. I always love playing Schubert because of his beautiful, tender melodies and the simplicity of his music. Mendelssohn captures both Schubert qualities, but it has a lot more excitement and furore. Beethoven's depth is something which always speaks directly to the deepest corners of the heart.

"I love composers which my personality and my temperament most naturally associate with, and I think those composers tend to be mainly German and Viennese - Beethoven, Haydn, Mozart, Schubert and Mendelssohn. Beethoven, I think, is the hardest composer to play on the piano, but I love the challenge."

If Ivan successfully translates his bubbly personality and passion into his performance, then next week's concert promises to be very special indeed.

Ivan will be appearing at the Jacqueline du Pré Music Building on Saturday, June 9. For tickets call the box office on 01865 305305 or visit www.ticketsoxford.com. For more information about the New Masters Series, visit www.ericheliczer.com