Born in London of Ukrainian and Polish heritage, MARGARET FINGERHUT has a distinguished career which has taken her all over the world. She is particularly known for her innovative recital programmes in which she explores the highways and byways of the piano repertoire. As a concerto soloist she has appeared with all of the UK’s major orchestras in venues such as the Royal Festival Hall, Royal Albert Hall and the Barbican. She is often heard on BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM and many radio stations worldwide.
Her acclaimed and extensive discography reflects her long-standing fascination with exploring lesser-known repertoire, including works by Bax, Berkeley, Bloch, Dukas, Falla, Finzi, Grieg, Howells, Leighton, Novák, Stanford and Suk as well as several pioneering collections of Russian and French piano music. Two of her Bax recordings were short-listed for Gramophone awards, and her disc of solo piano music by Tansman was awarded the “Diapason D’Or” in France. Her CD of encores “Endless Song” was Featured Album of the Week on Classic FM and was selected as “Editor’s Choice” in Pianist. She made the first recording of a rediscovered student piece by Rachmaninoff as well as two solo piano pieces by Taneyev. Other notable premiere recordings include Elgar’s sketches for his Piano Concerto Slow Movement and Bainton’s Concerto Fantasia.
In 2019 Margaret undertook a major recital tour, devising and performing a special programme of words and music called Far from the Home I Love across the UK to raise money for refugees. In 2022 she collaborated with a young Ukrainian filmmaker to produce a powerful video which raised money for emergency vehicles in Ukraine. Margaret was awarded an MBE in the 2024 New Year Honours in recognition of her services to music and charitable fundraising.
