Welcome to the Shrewsbury International Recital Series website. Each year, we invite young international classical musicians to perform paid recitals to help their early careers. We have been greatly helped in this by the Keyboard Trust, particularly Christopher Axworthy, who represents this fine organisation that supports the most accomplished young classical pianists by arranging concert performances throughout the world.

Past performers in Shrewsbury include some of the most promising and talented young pianists in the world, including Anna Fedorova, Elisabeth Brauss, Daniel Lebhardt, Dinara Klinton, Nikita Lukinov, Shunta Morimoto, Milda Daunoraite, Pietro Fresa, Maria Linares, Matthew McLachlan and Mariam Batsashvili. Most of the performances take place in one of the beautiful historic churches in Shrewsbury. In 2026 the series has moved to The Church of St Mary the Virgin in the centre of Shrewsbury to help fund the purchase of a brand new Kawai GX5 piano, which has been donated to the church. St Mary's is the oldest and most beautiful church in the historic town and dates back to the Saxon era. The church is famed for its stained glass collection and fabulous acoustics. The piano was christened by the world-famous pianist Mariam Batsashvili on May 23rd 2026 in a sublime performance of music by Mozart, Schubert, Chopin and Brahms.

Shrewsbury is a beautiful old medieval town and our audience is knowledgable and generous in its welcome to brilliant musicians. The support our audience provides enables us to pay reasonable fees to our artists, and we aim to treat them as musical royalty, which, of course, they are. We stand in admiration of their talent, hard work and dedication in doing justice to the great composers. We are a not-for-profit organisation run by volunteers and if any profit is made, it is donated to charities or to the upkeep of the beautiful old churches in our town.

Future Recitals

BACH BY CANDLELIGHT - FENELLA HUMPHREYS

St Mary's Church in Shrewsbury will be candelit for Fenella Humphreys when she plays the complete Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin by J.S.Bach for the first time in Shrewsbury's history. These works were written in a 5-year period when Bach was not required to write strictly religious music and during this time, under the employment of the Calvinist Prince Leopold, he composed the Orchestral Suites, the Brandenburg Concertos, the 6 Cello Suites and the 6 Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin. Fenella will play the works over two evenings on Friday 17th and Saturday 18th July at 7.30pm with an interview at 7pm with the performer on each evening.

Tickets £25 (Under 18's £10) from https://www.ticketsource.com/shrewsburyinternationalrecitalseries and on the door.

Fenella was the winner of 2023 & 2018 BBC Music Magazine Awards, and she performs internationally, specialising in solo & chamber music.