Cathal Breslin

Dr. Cathal Breslin has been praised internationally as one of the most exciting pianists of his generation. Critics have noted his “superb intensity and passion” (Cleveland Plain Dealer), “energized and energizing” performances (Belfast Telegraph), “deep connection to the music” (Tampa Oracle), “noble poetry and perfumed pianissimo” (The Independent, London), and “an adamantine technique and interpretative maturity” (La Stampa, Italy). He has also been described as “a pianist of remarkable expressive force.” (Giornale di Sicilia, Italy).

Born in Derry, Northern Ireland, Dr. Breslin has performed solo recitals in major concert halls across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, including Carnegie Hall in New York, Wigmore Hall in London, Kumho Art Hall in Seoul, and the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing. In Europe, recent performances have taken place in leading venues in Dublin, Belfast, London, Madrid, Málaga, Valencia, Lisbon, Sofia, and Warsaw. In Asia, he has appeared extensively in recital throughout China—including Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, Nanjing, Wuhan, Qingdao, Ningbo, Suzhou, Chengdu, and Chongqing—as well as in Seoul and Busan in South Korea, Taipei in Taiwan, and Tokyo in Japan. In South America, recent recitals have been in Medellín, Colombia, and São Paulo, Brazil.

His recent concerto performances span a wide historical range, from the Classical to the modern era, including works by Mozart, Beethoven, Liszt, Grieg, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Prokofiev, Poulenc, Gershwin, Ó Riada, and Takemitsu. He has appeared as soloist with orchestras such as the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Ulster Orchestra, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Turin Philharmonic, Memphis Symphony, Greensboro Symphony, Jackson Symphony, and the Arizona MusicFest Orchestra, collaborating with distinguished conductors including Vladimir Altschuler, Giovanni Battista Rigon, David Brophy, Matthew Coorey, Andrew Crust, Barry Douglas, Christian Gansch, Gearóid Grant, Robert Houlihan, Courtney Lewis, Robert Moody, Peter Shannon, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, and Niklas Willén.

An active and versatile collaborator, Dr. Breslin has appeared extensively in duo recitals with flutist Sir James Galway, sopranos Measha Brueggergosman and Ailish Tynan, violinists Augustin Dumay, Anne Akiko Meyers, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Kirill Troussov, and Kristine Balanas; cellists Jan Vogler, Jeffrey Zeigler, and Raphael Wallfisch; oboist Nicholas Daniel, clarinetist Michel Lethiec, hornist Richard Watkins, and percussionist/composer Andy Akiho. He has also performed with the Brodsky Quartet and the Coull Quartet, and is a regular member of Trio Festivale, an internationally touring flute–cello–piano ensemble that regularly commissions new works.

Dr. Breslin has received significant international recognition through major international piano competitions and worldwide broadcasts. He was awarded the Bronze Medal at the Viotti International Piano Competition in Vercelli/Milan, Italy, a founding member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions, and has also received top prizes at many international competitions, including in Valencia (Carlet), Athens (Grand Konzerteum), and Iowa in the United States. 

He has broadcast regularly for BBC Radio 3, RTÉ Lyric FM, BBC Radio Ulster, and RTVE Spain, and has appeared frequently on television in the U.S., Japan, China, Spain, and Ireland. His recordings of works by Mozart and Takemitsu for the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) network have been broadcast in over 30 countries worldwide, including on NPR, BBC, and ABC.

In 2008, Dr. Breslin and his wife, flutist Dr. Sabrina Hu, founded the Walled City Music Festival in Derry, Northern Ireland. The organization has played a central role in revitalizing the region’s cultural landscape through innovative programming and community engagement. Walled City Music has grown into one of Europe’s most successful arts organizations, presenting artists such as the Kronos Quartet, Bang on a Can All-Stars, the Ulster Orchestra, and pianists such as the Labèque Sisters and Jeremy Denk. In 2019, they launched the annual WCM International Academy, which has since welcomed hundreds of students from over 20 countries.

Dr. Breslin moved to the United States as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Michigan, where he earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree under the guidance of Arthur Greene. His earlier studies were at the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música in Madrid with Joaquín Soriano; the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester with Kathryn Stott, Benjamin Frith, and Alexander Melnikov; and the Royal College of Music in London with John Barstow.

He is currently Associate Professor of Piano at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, where his students have won numerous prizes in national and international piano competitions.