The Tryon Concert Association presents pianist Stephen Hough, CBE, at 8 p.m., Friday, Jan. 26, at the Tryon Fine Arts Center. The program will consist of four pieces by Debussy, including “Clair du Lune” and “Images,” Schumann’s “Fantasie,” and Beethoven’s Sonata in F minor, the “Appassionata.”

Stephen Hough is recognized as a foremost classical pianist. Born in England, Hough studied piano at the Royal Northern College of Music, was a finalist in the BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition in 1978, and, in 1983, won first prize at the Naumburg International Piano Competition in New York.

He has a master’s degree from The Juilliard School and is the first pianist to be awarded a MacArthur “genius” grant. In addition to his numerous awards, in 2014 he was made a Commander of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth in the New Year’s Honours List.

Mr. Hough has recorded over 50 albums and received numerous Gramophone Awards and several Grammy nominations. His solo concerts and appearances with orchestras are regularly sold out.

Known as the thinking person’s pianist, Mr. Hough plays with “high seriousness and imaginative intelligence.” His control and clarity enable him to convey to his audiences both the intent of the composer and his own interpretation of the music. Mr. Hough says a pianist must have “the ability to be on fire” every time he performs. “So far I’ve never been bored on stage playing a piece.” That excitement accounts for the high regard in which he is held by concertgoers.

Mr. Hough has performed with the orchestras of major European and North American cities, including London, Berlin, Budapest, Prague, New York, Chicago, Washington, Dallas, Toronto, Boston, San Francisco, and Sydney, Australia. He has appeared in recitals at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Royal Festival Hall, and the Concertgebouw as well as at the major music festivals around the world.

 Mr. Hough is also a composer, writer, and teacher. His “Mass of Innocence and Experience” and “Missa Mirabilis,” written for chorus and orchestra, have been performed at Westminster Abbey and Westminster Cathedral, by the Indianapolis Symphony, and the BBC Orchestra. Other works include pieces for orchestra, choir, chamber ensembles, and solo piano.

He regularly contributes articles on music to The Guardian, The Times, BBC Magazine, and the Telegraph and has written program notes for his numerous recordings. His first novel, The Final Retreat, will be published in early 2018.

He is a visiting professor at the Royal Academy of Music, holds the International Chair of Piano Studies at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, and is a member of the faculty at the Juilliard School. For season ticket information visit www.tryonconcerts.org.

– submitted by Anne De Sutter