Susan Tomes

Susan Tomes is a pianist and writer. Renowned as a soloist and as a chamber musician, she’s the author of seven books.

Susan Tomeshas won numerous awards as a pianist, both on the concert platform and in the recording studio. She grew up in Edinburgh and was the first woman to take a degree in music at King’s College, Cambridge, when co-education arrived at the college after 400 years. Her career encompasses solo, duo and chamber playing. She has been at the heart of the internationally admired ensembles Domus, the Gaudier Ensemble, and the Florestan Trio, winners of a Royal Philharmonic Society Award. In 2013 she was awarded the Cobbett Medal for her services to chamber music.

Books in order of publication:

Beyond the Notes – 2004

A Musician’s Alphabet – 2006

Out of Silence – a pianist’s yearbook – 2012

Sleeping in Temples – 2014

Speaking the Piano – Reflections on Learning and Teaching – 2018

The Piano – A History in 100 Pieces – 2021

Women and the Piano: A History in 50 Lives – 2024