With playing of ‘great clarity’ and ‘surprising strength for one so young’, Jamie Cochrane enjoys a varied musical career, ranging from concerto soloist to collaborative pianist. He is keen to bring music to a wide audience, programming less widely-performed works alongside audience favourites. Winner of the 2024 Norah Sande Award, Jamie has performed internationally, including venues such as the Royal Albert Hall and the Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford, and recent performances have included Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with the Colchester Symphony Orchestra and Bernstein’s The Age of Anxiety with the de Havilland Philharmonic Orchestra. He has also been fortunate to receive lessons and masterclasses from pianists such as Steven Osborne, Yevgeny Sudbin and Tom Poster, amongst others.
From 2019 to 2022, Jamie was the pianist in the Oxford-based, contemporary music group Ensemble ISIS, where he had the opportunity to work with composers Shirley Thompson and Cheryl Frances-Hoad, amongst others, as well as collaborate with and perform works by student composers. During this time, the ensemble was also involved in a recording project in connection with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Chamber music continues to be important to Jamie, and recent performances include the Brahms Horn Trio and Rachmaninoff’s Suite No. 2 for two pianos.
After being crowned Essex Young Musician of the Year in 2018, Jamie went on to study at Merton College, Oxford, where he was awarded both instrumental and academic scholarships. Having graduated with a first-class degree, he went on to hold the position of Graduate Musician in Residence from 2022-23 at St. Hilda’s College, Oxford, whilst continuing his studies in London. Jamie has just finished his Master’s degree at the Royal Academy of Music with William Fong and Michael Dussek, where he was also awarded a DipRAM for outstanding performance in a postgraduate final recital. He is generously supported by the Wayne Sleep Foundation, Robert Turnbull Piano Foundation and the Cullis Bursary Fund.