Biography
Gemma Webster studied at The Purcell School, Royal College of Music, University of York, Royal Northern College of Music and Sibelius Academy (Helsinki) with generous scholarships from the Tillett Trust, Musicians' Benevolent Fund, Tunnell Trust, Kendall-Taylor Award, Favre-Gilly Foundation, Dorothy Grinstead Memorial Fund, and Else & Leonard Cross Trust.
Gemma's teachers included John York, Irina Zaritskaya and Martin Roscoe. Gemma also participated in masterclasses at IMS Prussia Cove, the Banff Centre Canada (as Resident Artist) & the Pablo Casals Festival (Prades) with Ferenc Rados, Pavel Gililov, Itamar Golan, Benjamin Zander, William Fong and Christopher Elton.
Gemma has performed at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Buckingham Palace (for HRH King Charles III), St. John's Smith Square, St. Martin-in-the-field's, Saffron Hall, Fairfield Hall, the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, York & Sheffield, Lancaster International Concert Series, Stoller Hall, Ribble Valley International Piano Festival and for BBC radio & BBC television.
1st prizes include the RNCM Concerto competition, National Derby Piano Concerto competition and National Toshiba chamber music awards. Overseas concerts have included the Ftan Insitut (Switzerland), Utrecht Musikcentrum, Rolston Hall (Canada) and Martinu Hall (Czech Republic). Gemma has performed Piano Concerti by Chopin, Schumann, Franck, Ravel and Shostakovich in the UK and the Netherlands under conductors such as Martyn Brabbins and Darrell Davison.
In chamber music Gemma has collaborated with Steven Isserlis, Ian Clarke, Guy Johnston (BBC Young Musicians Winner), Jenny King (BBC Symphony Orchestra), David Waterman (Endellion Quartet), Denis Bouriakov (Principal Flute, Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra), Daniel Bates (ROSL Gold Medallist), Jonathan Cohen, Naomi Williams (Royal Opera House), Katherine Baker (Principal Flute, Royal Opera House), Ani Kalayjian (Anglo-Czech Competition Strings Winner), Marie Macleod (BBC Young Musicians Strings Winner) and The Camarilla Ensemble (ROSL Ensemble Winners).
As an accompanist Gemma has played for masterclasses given by Alexander Baillie (at Bremen Hochschule), David Waterman, Steven Isserlis (at IMS Prussia Cove), Steven Doane, Benjamin Zander (in Switzerland), Ralph Kirshbaum (at RNCM), Peter Moore (at Chetham's School of Music), and Ian Clarke.
Gemma has taught at the University of Sheffield (Department of Music), Chetham's International Piano Summer School, Christ's Hospital School (Head of Piano 2010-18), Cherry Pie Music London (Head of Piano 2018-19) and Westminster School London. In 2019 Gemma joined the Staff Accompaniment team at Chetham's School of Music.
Gemma's compositions have been performed by the London Mozart Players, Northern Sinfonia and on BBC radio & BBC television. Gemma has won several composition competitions including a Boosey & Hawkes award.