Joanna MacGregor CBE is one of the world's most innovative musicians. As a solo pianist she has appeared with leading orchestras, performing in over 80 countries with eminent conductors including Pierre Boulez, Sir Colin Davis, Sir Simon Rattle and Michael Tilson Thomas.
Joanna has premiered many landmark works - from Harrison Birtwistle to John Adams and James MacMillan – and is a regular broadcaster on TV and radio. Joanna is Dame Myra Hess Chair of Piano at the Academy and runs two annual piano festivals for young musicians; she has been Artistic Director of Dartington International Summer School, Bath International Festival, and Deloitte Ignite at the Royal Opera House, as well as a curator for festivals around the world.
She has released over forty solo recordings, many of them on her own award-winning record label SoundCircus, ranging from Chopin and Piazzolla to Bach and John Cage. Her collaborative and composition projects encompass jazz, film, visual art, contemporary dance and electronica. From 2015 to 2021 she chaired the Paul Hamlyn Composers Awards and has been a Booker Prize Judge. Joanna has five honorary doctorates and is Music Director and Principal Conductor of Brighton Philharmonic.