Barry Douglas in Recital

Barry Douglas has established a major international career since winning the Gold Medal at the 1986 Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition, Moscow. As Artistic Director of Camerata Ireland and the Clandeboye Festival, he continues to celebrate his Irish heritage whilst also maintaining a busy international touring schedule.

Barry opened the 17/18 season performing Tchaikovsky with the Halle Orchestra, after which he began new collaborations with both the Endellion String Quartet and the Borodin Quartet. He has tours in recital in the UK and USA and performs with orchestras across the globe from Canada to Europe to Russia. Last season Barry performed two full Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto cycles in Dublin and Belfast, gave performances of Tchaikovsky’s first Piano Concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra, and opened the St. Petersburg Philharmonic’s concert season, all marking the 30^th anniversary of his Tchaikovsky International Competition win.  He also appeared at the Verbier Festival in July 2017.

Barry is an exclusive Chandos recording artist. He recently completed a recording of the full works for solo piano of Brahms, the six albums of which have received much critical praise. International Record Review wrote that “this is indeed Brahms playing of the utmost integrity and authority… this cycle looks set to become a benchmark version.”  His current recording projects focus on the solo piano works of Schubert and Tchaikovsky. Also with Chandos Barry is exploring Irish folk music through his own arrangements, working with ancient melodies through to pieces by contemporary song writers. Celtic Reflections (2014) was followed last season by Celtic Airs. 

In 1999 Barry Douglas founded the chamber orchestra Camerata Ireland to celebrate and nurture the very best of young musicians from both Northern and the Republic of Ireland.  In addition to striving for musical excellence, one of the orchestra’s aims is to further the peace process in Ireland by promoting dialogue and collaboration through its musical education programmes. 

With Camerata Ireland he has toured the People’s Republic of China on three occasions, with concerts in Beijing, Shanghai and other key cities. Together they opened the new Jinan Grand Theatre with a cycle of all the Beethoven piano concertos. Barry regularly tours with Camerata Ireland throughout the world and will visit the US and South America this season.  Highlights of past seasons were Camerata Ireland’s debut at the BBC Proms in London and a world premiere of a new cantata commissioned by The Honourable The Irish Society, “At Sixes and Sevens”, alongside the London Symphony Orchestra to celebrate Derry-Londonderry becoming City of Culture 2013.

Barry Douglas received the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2002 New Year’s Honours List for services to music.