You can discover more about Ella here, through her own words, and her official biography. She receives a prize of £5,000 to put towards her artistic and vocational development. We particularly invite festival and venue programmers to follow Ella's progress, and please be in touch with us if you would like to connect with her.

IN HER OWN WORDS

'I am honoured and humbled to follow such an illustrious list of pianists as a recipient of the Gerald Moore Award. It feels more important than ever to take inspiration from Gerald Moore’s championing of song, which as an art form can sometimes be perceived as stuffy and pretentious (and not always entirely without reason). There is such delight to be found in the close focus of its stories, told in the space of a few minutes with no need for set or props, and the spontaneity of interaction between singer and pianist – not to mention that it includes some breathtaking repertoire. Strauss is a personal favourite. As a curator, I am fascinated with finding new ways to bring these delights to audiences, be it through unusual venues, unconventional formats, or collaborations with other art forms. The support from this award will give me more freedom to explore these creative possibilities.

I am also very interested in how we can redress the gender imbalance in song piano, which is to this day an extremely male-dominated profession, and not for lack of talented female song pianists. Thanks in no small part to the foundations laid by Gerald Moore years ago, the role of the collaborative pianist is being recognised and celebrated more than ever before, but there is work to be done before this recognition is afforded equally to pianists irrespective of gender. I hope to be a part of this change.' 

BIOGRAPHY

Ella O’Neill is increasingly in demand across the UK and Europe as a collaborative pianist specialising in song. She was the winner of the Help Musicians UK Accompanist’s Prize in the 2019 Kathleen Ferrier Awards at Wigmore Hall, where she recently returned for her recital debut with tenor Laurence Kilsby. This summer marked the release of the duo’s debut album Awakenings co-produced by Deutsche Grammophon, Avi Music and SWR Kultur, which has recently been shortlisted for the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik (German Record Critics' Award). 

Recital venues for Ella have included Carnegie Hall as a SongStudio artist, Snape Maltings Concert Hall, Cadogan Hall, the Royal Opera House Crush Room, Opera Holland Park, Heidelberger Frühling, Oxford International Song, Leeds Lieder and Brighton Festivals, as well as regular appearances on BBC Radio 3 In Tune. 

Ella is a Samling artist and works regularly as a staff pianist with Samling Institute for Young Artists, as well as the Royal College of Music, where she was the Lord and Lady Lurgan Collaborative Piano Fellow 2022-24. Ella graduated from the RCM in 2019, having studied predominantly with Simon Lepper, alongside Kathron Sturrock and Roger Vignoles, following undergraduate studies at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

If you are interested in finding out more about Ella, hearing and keeping up to date with her work, take a look at her website and social media below:
 

• Website
• Spotify
• X/Twitter

The Gerald Moore Award is chosen by a panel of expert piano accompanists, invited to fulfil this role alongside the Award's founder Graham Johnson. We are very grateful to Iain Burnside, Libby Burgess and Roger Vignoles for their valued part in the 2024 panel.