Morning Calm: Rishi Mirchandani

Join us for Morning Calm with Rishi Mirchandani, pianist from the Royal College of Music, who will be playing works by JS Bach, Chopin, Debussy, Rachmaninoff and Beethoven.

Dates: Daily Monday - Friday

Time: 8.40-8.55am

Location: St George's Hanover Square, St George Street, W1

Morning Calm is a short piano recital beginning at 8:40, consisting of around 10-12 minutes of music followed by a few minutes' silence for reflection and meditation before ending with brief prayers for the day ahead. You are most welcome to stay for the whole recital or if you would prefer not to stay for the Christian conclusion to leave just before the end. Morning Calm aims to offer a reflective and calm start to the day for people of any faith or none in the hustle and bustle of the West End of London.

As always admission is free.

After amassing six gold medals in major national and international competitions, Indian American pianist Rishi Mirchandani debuted as soloist with the Grammy award-winning Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra at the age of 18. He made his first of four appearances at Carnegie Hall in New York at age 12, and he has performed to critical acclaim in England, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and the United States.

Mirchandani holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, summa cum laude, from Yale University. He earned Distinction in Mathematics and was one of twelve students (top 1%) in his year admitted to the Phi Beta Kappa honour society as a third-year student. While pursuing his mathematics studies, he also studied piano with Elizabeth Parisot and founded the Yale Undergraduate Piano Collective. At commencement, he received the Stanton Wheeler and Marcia Chambers Award for outstanding artistic contributions to campus life.

Mirchandani subsequently moved to New York to focus on music professionally. He completed his master's degree in piano at the Manhattan School of Music with Jeffrey Cohen and Solomon Mikowsky, sponsored as a winner of the President’s Award. He then earned a Professional Studies Diploma at the Mannes School of Music, where he studied with Thomas Sauer and won the coveted Steinway Award for artistic excellence and service to Mannes. Mirchandani quickly became a New York audience favourite as a soloist, chamber musician, and song pianist, receiving invitations to appear at Carnegie Hall, the Bohemian National Hall, the German Consulate of the U.N., the Union Club, Klavierhaus, and many other renowned venues in the city.

Now based in London, Mirchandani holds an Artist Diploma at the Royal College of Music. He was a student of Dmitri Alexeev, Ian Jones, and Andrew Zolinsky. He received sponsorship from the institution as an RCM Scholar.

He has received additional guidance from Lang Lang, Richard Goode, Boris Berman, Robert McDonald, and Eldar Nebolsin. Mirchandani's recording of Nancy Galbraith's Three Preludes for Piano was featured on the acclaimed Centaur Records album Strange Travels, which garnered a spot on the "Want List" in Fanfare Magazine.

Mirchandani is on the teaching staff of the renowned Charterhouse School and also maintains a successful private studio. His students routinely receive top honours in exams and competitions, including invitations to perform in Carnegie Hall. He previously taught undergraduate piano proficiency at the Mannes School of Music and served as a Teaching Artist for Midori & Friends. In 2024, he gave a masterclass as a guest artist at the Carnegie Mellon University Preparatory School of Music. He believes earnestly in music’s ability to help human beings discover their inner power, natural grace, and shared humanity.