The English pianist Kelvin Grout began playing the piano at the age of four and won his first competition when he was six. He studied piano accompaniment at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where his teachers included, David Wilde, Robin Bowman, Paul Hamburger, and Graham Johnson. During this period he also worked with Geoffrey Parsons, Roger Vignoles, Gerald Moore, Gerard Souzay and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf who subsequently invited him to work with her in her private studio in Switzerland, a collaboration that lasted six years. Whilst playing for Dr Schwarzkopf at her master-classes in Amsterdam he decided to take up residency in the Netherlands where he has lived for the last twenty years. He has appeared at all the major concert halls and is a regular performer at the Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, most recently being invited back for a concert of Mahler which was created specifically for the Concertgebouw. He has broadcast on radio and television throughout Europe and made numerous recordings and this season will see the appearance of three new CD's. In concerts and classes he has worked alongside many of the worlds greatest lieder singers including, Gundela Janowitz, Jessye Norman, Elly Ameling, Inessa Galante, Sarah Walker, Nancy Argenta, Carolyn Watkinson, Roberta Alexander, Tom Krause, Robert Tear and Maarten Koningsberger. In addition to his performing, the last ten years has seen him gain a fine reputation as a teacher, throughout Europe and America. His master-classes are always in demand and he is currently finishing his book 'Behind the Notes' which will include a DVD illustrating his classes and a humorous concert designed to reveal the mysterious world of the accompanist. As a composer he has written music for ballet, his piece 'Quiet Strength' regularly appears in European houses, and was recently performed at the Bayreuth Festival. He is currently writing a small song cycle for baritone and piano. October 2009 will see the first Amsterdam International Piano Accompanists' Competition. This biennial event is intended to raise the profile of the accompanist and encourage young pianists who wish to pursue a career as an accompanist.