John Barstow
British pianist and teacher John Dennis Barstow was born at Morley, West Yorkshire on 21 May 1937. He studied at the Royal College of Music in London with Cyril Smith and Bernard Stevens.
His international career was launched after winning a series of awards. He had a notably wide repertoire, from Byrd to Boulez, and he gave several first performances. He broadcast widely and served on international piano competition juries. He made the first recording in 1969 of John Joubert's Piano Concerto.
He taught at the Royal College of Music for decades, and also at the Summer School for Pianists, and was known for his wicked sense of humour. His many students included Adrien Cotta, Christopher Davies, Barry Douglas, John Paul Ekins, Daniel Hill, Julian Jacobson, Nataša Lipovšek, James Lisney, Karl Lutchmayer, Jeannette Owens, Neil Roxburgh, Morley Whitehead, Frank Wibaut and the late Katherine Wolf.
John Barstow died on 11 October 2024, aged eighty-seven.
A selection of articles about John Barstow
Classical music news - October 2024 Obituaries - Our summary of those the classical music world has lost this month
Confidently Entertaining - A recital by John Paul Ekins delights Bill Newman
Ensemble. Intelligent and Cogent - Julian Jacobson attended the Beethoven Piano Society of Europe's Summer Celebrity Festival