GREAT MUSIC
Port Sunlight International Piano Festival is a project committed to bringing world-class music making to the village of Port Sunlight.
A celebration of exceptional pianism, accessible to all.
Founded by artistic director William Bracken, an internationally performing concert pianist who grew up near Port Sunlight, the festival proposes to expose the community to musical excellence from all around the globe whilst keeping performances free to attend.
The festival also serves as a testament to the legacy of Paula Browning, the grandmother of William Bracken. Herself a pianist of formidable ability and reputation, the festival is built on values that Paula held dear: curiosity, enthusiasm, exacting standards, and, above all, a deep love for music and an inexhaustible passion for sharing it with the community.
Steve osborne
26.09.2026
Steven Osborne’s musical insight and integrity underpin idiomatic interpretations of varied repertoire that have won him fans around the world. The extent of his range is demonstrated by his 35 recordings for Hyperion, which have earned numerous awards, and he was made OBE for his services to music in the Queen’s New Year Honours in 2022. The Observer described him as ‘a player in absolute service to the composer’.
A thoughtful and curious musician, he has served as Artist-in-Residence at Wigmore Hall, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Bath International Music Festival.
Kasparas Mikužis
27.09.2026
Kasparas Mikužis is a Lithuanian-born pianist based in London. Named as one of Classic FM’s ‘Rising Stars’ for 2025, he has taken the stages of various highly respected venues such as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and the Lithuanian National Philharmonic in Vilnius. In May 2025, Kasparas was one of the winners of the Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT) international auditions.
Highlights include recitals at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, UK, the Krzysztof Penderecki Centre in Lusławice, Poland and his debut at Wigmore Hall in London in December 2024.
Elisabeth Tsai
26.09.2026
Elisabeth Tsai is gaining recognition for her interpretations of the German Classical and Romantic repertoire. A major prizewinner at various international competitions (most recently the 2026 Takamatsu International Piano Competition and the 2026 Cambridge International Piano Competition), she has appeared in solo, chamber and concerto performances across the US, the UK, Austria, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan. She is currently under the mentorship of Ronan O’Hora and Richard Goode and is actively engaged as a chamber musician in the London area.
Sophia Prodanova
27.09.2026
Bulgarian violinist Sophia Prodanova regularly appears in principal positions with leading groups such as Ensemble Pygmalion, Arcangelo, Scottish Chamber Orchestr, among others. Performance highlights include appearances at the BBC Proms, Barbican Hall, Wigmore Hall, including her solo debut there, and CD recordings for Alpha Classics and Sony. Recently, Sophia gave the Bulgarian premiere performance of Andrzej Panufnik’s Violin Concerto.
Sophia won Third Prize at the International Bach Competition in Leipzig (2022). She is a Jumpstart Jr Foundation artist and plays on a 1596 Brothers Amati violin from their Sparrey Collection.
Alexia Daphne Eleftheriadou
26-27.09.2026
An artist characterised by a rare warmth, generosity, and expressive depth, award-winning pianist Alexia Daphne Eleftheriadou has appeared as a soloist at leading venues including Wigmore Hall, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, and the Greek National Opera Recital Hall. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Alexia has performed with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and been the recipient of the Harriet Cohen Bach Prize as well as the RCS Bach Prize. Other successes include being a top prizewinner at the Roma International Piano Competition four hands category. Alexia will serve as co-artistic director and performer at the inaugural Port Sunlight International Piano Festival in September 2026.
Equilibrium string quartet
27.09.2026
The string quartet Equilibrium was founded in 2018 by cellist Hilary Browning and three colleagues from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra; Kate Richardson, violin, Kate Marsden, violin and Rachel Jones, viola, with a view to addressing the gender imbalance in the programming of classical music by performing music by women composers and other underrepresented groups.
They have performed works by Fanny Mendelssohn, Emelie Meyer, Imogen Holst, Rebecca Clarke, Elizabeth Maconchy, Graznya Bacewicz, Amy Beach, Florence Price among others.
Equilibrium also celebrates the works of contemporary female composers such as Dobrinka Tabakova, Eleanor Alberga, Grace Evangeline and many more.
They are quartet in residence for the annual Young Rushworth Composers scheme and are supported by The Women’s Organisation.
William Bracken
26-27.09.2026
Pianist William Bracken’s creative voice stems from a deep fluency with the language of music itself, dissolving musical boundaries through improvisational state of mind, curiosity and acute contextual awareness. Possessing a vast repertoire of classical masterworks, contemporary works and equally proficient in jazz and improvised music, the Wirral-born pianist has won numerous international awards and currently holds a position as a member of teaching staff in the Centre for Creative Performance and Classical Improvisation at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. He is the recent founder and artistic director of Port Sunlight International Piano Festival. Concert highlights include recitals at New York’s Carnegie Hall and London’s Wigmore Hall where he was praised by the Telegraph for possessing “an ability to hold an audience in the palm of his hand”. He is also a core member of the improvisation group Ensemble+ and bandleader of the Will Bracken trio.
