Widely regarded as one of South Africa's foremost concert pianists, CHRISTOPHER DUIGAN has been recognized as a 'South African piano icon' and 'national musical treasure' (Classic Feel June 2009). He has performed extensively with all major South African orchestras in a repertoire of more than 25 works for piano and orchestra in over 100 performances since his professional debut in 1991. In recital he has developed a popular following through his innovative presentation and programming of a broad and eclectic taste in music. Engaging with his audience in multiple roles of performer, educator, promoter, producer and arranger, composer, he is the epitome what, for many, is the quintessential 21-st century classical musician.
Christopher Duigan began piano studies with Anette Kerkovius in Pietermaritzburg at the age of seven. He pursued professional concert studies at the University of Natal with Italian pianist Isabella Stengel privately from age 14, graduating with a B.Mus (cum laude) in 1989. At the University of Cape Town he studied with Lamar Crowson and Albie van Schalkwyk, graduating with an M Mus (Performance) in 1994. At the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) in Manchester, under the mentorship of Brazilian virtuoso Arnaldo Cohen, he was awarded the Professional Performer's Diploma (PPRNCM) and won the RNCM Recital Prize. Other major prizes he has received include the UNISA Overseas Scholarship Competition (1994), Crossly/Kramer Scholarships for International Study from UCT, 1st prize and Gold Medal in the Adolph Hallis Piano Competition (1996), awards for the best South African pianist in the UNISA International Piano Competition (1996), Gold Medal in the Pan-African Concours de Musique, and the Cape Town Symphony's Joseph Lan Award for his performance of the Bartok Piano Concerto No 3 (1994). He has participated in master classes at Dartington Summer School and at the Mozarteum, Salzburg.
As soloist, major performances with orchestra have included Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 2 (Cape Philharmonic Orchestra- Cape Town City Hall), Liszt Piano Concerto No. 1 (Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra - Linder Auditorium) and Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue (KZN Philharmonic Orchestra - Durban City Hall). Notable recital engagements include those at the Brooklyn Theatre in Pretoria, Casa Labia in Cape Town, Cape Town Concert Series at the Baxter Theatre-Cape Town, Steinway Hall in London, Latimar festival in England, in Mexico City and at the National Arts Festival (Grahamstown) and Hilton Arts Festival.
Christopher Duigan has developed a large following in South Africa through the broadcast of his recordings on ClassicFM (Johannesburg) and Fine Music Radio (Cape Town). In 2010 he became one of six pianists in South African history to be invited to be a 'Steinway Artist', joining an exclusive company of renowned international musicians.
As producer and impresario he has worked under the banner MUSIC REVIVAL promoting concert performance, both his own and those of others, in various centres in South Africa. Established in 1997 with more than 100 concerts annually, major projects including the Marriott Classic Music Festival in Franschhoek, a Concert Series at the Hilton Arts Festival and a series of performances by the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra in the Pietermaritzburg City Hall. During the COVID-19 pandemic Duigan turned his focus to a series of live-stream sessions on Youtube, offering an unparalleled contribution to the wider public, locally and internationally. These totalled 287 freely available hour-long sessions, logging up 27 000 viewing hours before the project ended in September 2024.
In 2014 he established a productive collaboration with Spanish virtuoso saxophonist David Salleras that has resulted in two album recordings of his own original music: INDIGO (2015) and MIDNIGHT BLUE (2016). This lead to six concerts with GIO Orchestra in Spain featuring Duigan's own music from the albums conceived for solo saxophone and piano with the orchestra (April 2016 March 2017). In December 2018 Salleras and Duigan were invited to perform as soloists in Yoshimatsu's 'Cyberbird' for solo saxophone, piano and percussion with the Orquestra des Valles at one of the world’s most distinguished concert venues, the Palau de la Musica, Barcelona. A repeat performance was featured in the Opening Concert fo the Stellenbosh Woordfees 2020 and televised on Kyknet's classical music programme.
Christopher now restricts his performances to a series of intimate recitals in venues locally in KZN on a monthly basis with few national appearances. A selection of his recorded albums are available on Apple Music and Spotify, and his catalogue of live-stream performances are viewable on his Youtube channel.
Christopher Duigan is a Steinway Artist.