Stephen Ham has distinguished himself for the excitement, intelligence and emotional intensity of his playing.
Critics have hailed his performances around the world as "Superb! Enchanting" (The Washington Post), "Heart-rending …
[with] exquisite musicianship" (The Australian) and “Fiery and powerful” (The Ottawa Citizen).
Mr. Ham possesses a repertoire of twenty piano concertos and as many solo recitals that include significant works of the piano
literature, including the complete late Beethoven Sonatas, 24 Chopin Etudes and important works of Schumann, Brahms, Mozart, Bach, Ravel,
Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, and Liszt.
Born in Toronto, Stephen Ham began piano lessons at the age of fourteen. Within two years he was playing at an advanced level and at
nineteen, he won the Canadian Music Competition's International Stepping Stone award. In 1999, he received First Prize and the
Audience Prize at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s National Young Performers Competition. He is also the recipient of several
Canada Council grants and was a prize winner at the 2004 José Iturbi International Piano competition.
Mr. Ham has performed widely in Canada. He has been heard frequently in recital, on CBC radio, and also in concerti with the National Arts
Center and CBC Vancouver Orchestras. In 1999, he was featured in a live broadcast on CBC television, where he performed Bach in
celebration of the International Glenn Gould Gathering in Toronto. He has also performed in Europe, the United States, Australia, and
Asia. Recent performances have taken him to Amsterdam, Montreal, Vienna, Athens, Guatemala, Florence, Rome, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia.
In 2001, Mr. Ham was accepted to attend the International Piano Foundation on Lake Como, Italy where he was among eight
internationally selected pianists enjoying private master classes with world-renowned artists including Alicia de Larrocha, Charles
Rosen, William Naboré, Dmitri Bashkirov, Fou Ts'ong, and Claude Frank among others. Additionally, Mr. Ham has taken masterclasses
with the great Italian pianist Maurizio Pollini, studying works by Beethoven, Schumann, Webern, Stockhausen and Debussy.
Stephen Ham earned his Masters Degree from the University of Montreal in 1998 and his Artist Diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music in
Toronto, where he studied principally with Marc Durand and also with Leon Fleisher and André Laplante.
Stephen Ham, Piano
Biography
Stephen Ham has distinguished himself for the excitement, intelligence and emotional intensity of his playing.
Critics have hailed his performances around the world as "Superb! Enchanting" (The Washington Post), "Heart-rending …
[with] exquisite musicianship" (The Australian) and “Fiery and powerful” (The Ottawa Citizen).
Mr. Ham possesses a repertoire of twenty piano concertos and as many solo recitals that include significant works of the piano
literature, including the complete late Beethoven Sonatas, 24 Chopin Etudes and important works of Schumann, Brahms, Mozart, Bach, Ravel,
Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, and Liszt.
Born in Toronto, Stephen Ham began piano lessons at the age of fourteen. Within two years he was playing at an advanced level and at
nineteen, he won the Canadian Music Competition's International Stepping Stone award. In 1999, he received First Prize and the
Audience Prize at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s National Young Performers Competition. He is also the recipient of several
Canada Council grants and was a prize winner at the 2004 José Iturbi International Piano competition.
Mr. Ham has performed widely in Canada. He has been heard frequently in recital, on CBC radio, and also in concerti with the National Arts
Center and CBC Vancouver Orchestras. In 1999, he was featured in a live broadcast on CBC television, where he performed Bach in
celebration of the International Glenn Gould Gathering in Toronto. He has also performed in Europe, the United States, Australia, and
Asia. Recent performances have taken him to Amsterdam, Montreal, Vienna, Athens, Guatemala, Florence, Rome, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia.
In 2001, Mr. Ham was accepted to attend the International Piano Foundation on Lake Como, Italy where he was among eight
internationally selected pianists enjoying private master classes with world-renowned artists including Alicia de Larrocha, Charles
Rosen, William Naboré, Dmitri Bashkirov, Fou Ts'ong, and Claude Frank among others. Additionally, Mr. Ham has taken masterclasses
with the great Italian pianist Maurizio Pollini, studying works by Beethoven, Schumann, Webern, Stockhausen and Debussy.
Stephen Ham earned his Masters Degree from the University of Montreal in 1998 and his Artist Diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music in
Toronto, where he studied principally with Marc Durand and also with Leon Fleisher and André Laplante.