“Pianists go on a lifetime’s search for the heart of this music, but Ke Ma is already closer than many, and quicker than most”
Peter Quantrill, The Arts Desk

“Ke Ma performed number 9 in F major with a touch of crisp elegance and unartificial naturalness in touch and phrasing, which is perfectly suited for this work that is as transparent as it is boldly written, where graphic clarity in tone and timbre is of utmost importance.”
Mats Liljeroos, Pressreader, Finland

“Her music unfolds naturally with ease and shows superb technical command” Xianjie, Zhu Arts of Piano Magazine
 “Where [Timothy Ridout] and his sensitive pianist Ke Ma are at their most convincing is in the short character works.”
Vieuxtemps Disc review on Gramophone

Born in 1994 in China, Ke studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London with Christopher Elton, Michael Dussek and Andrew West, graduating with a Masters with distinction (DipRAM) in 2017.  She is currently pursuing her Doctoral study at Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Professor Joan Havill, Dr Alexander Soares and Rolf Hind.

Ke has won top prizes at international competitions including 1st Prize at the 2016 Concours International de la vie de Maisons-Laffitte and Karoly Mocsari Special Prize (France), 1st Prize at the 2014 Shenzhen Competition (China) and 3rd Prize at the 2012 Ettlingen Competition (Germany).

As a soloist, Ke made her debut at Wigmore Hall under the auspices of the Kirckman Concert Society, she has given concerts across the UK, Italy, France, Germany, Poland, Hungary and the US. Highlights have included appearances with the Tapiola Sinfonietta, Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, Sichuan Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Young Musicians Symphony, Suffolk Symphony Orchestra, Royal Tunbridge Wells Symphony Orchestra, the Miskolc Symphony Orchestra conducted by Tamás Gál at the Palace of the Arts in Budapest.

During 2020, Ke appeared as one of the soloists at the Gold Medal competition and performed the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.1 with the new low latency technique and collaborated with Guildhall Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Richard Farnes. In addition, it’s a privilege to perform at the York Minster as the first Chinese pianist ever in the prestigious venue, where she was also invited to discuss the influence of pandemic on musicians and was featured on BBC television programme ‘Look North’.

A committed chamber musician Ke has undertaken a Tunnell Trust Award tour of Scotland, given a recital at Wigmore Hall and recorded music by Vieuxtemps for Champs Hill Records with violist in Timothy Ridout. She has collaborated with cellist Margarita Balanas for The Royal Academy of Music’s Bicentenary Series recording.

Ke is grateful for support from the Ian Fleming Award from Help Musicians UK; the Maisie Lewis Young Artist Fund and the Prince’s Award from the Worshipful Company of Musicians, Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers of London, and generous support from Hellensmusic.