Trinity Laban

Penelope Roskell combines an international performing career with posts as Professor of Piano at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, and as visiting artist at Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. She has performed as soloist at major concert halls throughout Britain, including the Barbican Concert Hall, Wigmore Hall, Bridgewater Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room. She has also travelled widely throughout the world, playing in over thirty countries in Western and Eastern Europe, the United States, Africa, Asia, and the Middle and Far East.

She plays and teaches a very wide range of repertoire. Her first prize at the British Contemporary Piano Competition resulted in numerous invitations to festivals of contemporary music, including eight recitals in Hans Werner Henze’s festivals in Montepulciano and Munich. Her performances of Bach, Mozart, Schubert, Schumann and Shostakovich have been particularly acclaimed. She has played Mozart Concertos with numerous orchestras, including the London Mozart Players at the Barbican Concert Hall and on tour with Sir Simon Rattle. She has also played both Shostakovich Concertos in the Queen Elizabeth Hall with the Docklands Sinfonietta.

She is also a committed chamber musician and has performed with many distinguished artists. Over the last twelve fifteen years she has played piano quintets regularly with the Fitzwilliam String Quartet, and plays in the Roskell Piano Trio with the violinist and cellist from the quartet. At Trinity she founded Meridian, a piano and wind ensemble with Trinity professors. Her work with dance companies has included a season of solo performances with Twyla Tharp Dance Company at Sadlers Wells.

Penelope studied with a range of great teachers, including Vlado Perlemuter,  Sir William Glock, Maria Curcio, Guido Agosti, Peter Feuchtwanger and George Hadjinikos.

Penelope Roskell is an extremely dedicated, inspiring teacher, who aims to guide each individual student to reach his/her full potential as a pianist- musically and technically - and as an artist in the broadest sense. She is extremely experienced in all aspects of advanced teaching, having taught at undergraduate and postgraduate level for thirty years.
She was a Professor of Piano at the London College of Music from 1982 until 1999 when she moved to Trinity College of Music. At Trinity, in addition to her piano teaching, she is involved in examining and auditioning and runs a regular class on piano pedagogy.  She frequently gives masterclasses at UK and foreign conservatories and has taught regular postgraduate classes at the Royal Academy of Music.. She has been resident at many summer schools including Chetham's and Dartington International Summer Schools, and has been on the jury for major competitions such as BBC Young Musician of the Year.  Her London Advanced Piano Courses attract students from all over the world.

From 2000 to 2002 she was also Director of the EPTA Piano Pedagogy Course. She has a special expertise in the field of piano technique and is the only piano teacher in England registered with British Association for Performing Arts Medicine as dealing effectively with physical tension and injuries.

Articles

Penelope writes frequently for piano magazines, including regular columns on technique for "Piano Professional" and "Pianist" magazines.

Broadcasts

Various programmes for BBC Radio, W.F.M.T. Radio in Chicago and Hong Kong radio and British, Polish and Greek television.

Recordings

• De Falla's works with Aquarius
• DVD "Yoga for Musicians"

Publications

• The Art of Piano Fingering, published by London College of Music

• Visiting Artist at Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama
• Artistic Director of the Sutton House Music Society
• Founder member of Meridian
• Tutor, Dartington Summer School, Chetham's Summer School
• Adviser to North London Colourstrings

• Rothwell Prize
• Craxton Memorial Prize
• Second prize in the National Piano Concerto Competition
• First prize in the British Contemporary Piano Competition, 1988