Adam Heron: POWER UP Music Creator
Bio: A multidisciplinary composer and pianist of Nigerian-Filipino ancestry, Adam Heron won the Harriet Cohen Bach Award in 2020. Born in Hong Kong, then adopted by his Irish mother, Heron achieved widespread recognition following his 2018 television debut as a BBC Young Musician piano finalist. Through his cosmopolitan heritage, coupled with a flair for storytelling, he is a leading ambassador for Black classical musicians.
Heron commands a thrilling schedule of headline concerts, having performed at distinguished venues including the Royal Albert Hall, Wigmore Hall, and Usher Hall. Also a keen linguist and communicator, his career has also featured recitals at the International Center for Arts in Cairo and the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Mumbai, plus further global appearances at the Blackwater Valley Opera, Aegean Arts International, and Cayman Arts festivals. Heron enjoys regular partnerships with major broadcasters including BBC Radio 3 and BBC Four, having worked alongside eminent presenters including Katie Derham and Sean Rafferty.
A laureate of the Stefano Marizza and HRH Princess Lalla Meryem international piano competitions, Heron studied with Professor Christopher Elton at the Royal Academy of Music before achieving a postgraduate degree from the University of Cambridge, exploring the nexus between music and postcolonialism. Generously supported by PRS Foundation and POWER UP Partners, he has received masterclasses from renowned pianists including Imogen Cooper, John Lill, Paul Lewis, and Stephen Hough. Heron currently holds the James McCune Smith Scholarship from the University of Glasgow, where he spearheads PhD research on Franco-Caribbean composer Chevalier de Saint-Georges.