Joseph Havlat

Joseph Havlat was born in Hobart, Australia, and studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London under Prof. Joanna MacGregor from 2012 - 18, where he received his BMus and MMus with distinction, including awards for exceptional merit in studentship and the highest recital mark for a postgraduate pianist. 

Joseph has performed in major concert venues around the UK and in Europe, America, Japan and Australia as a soloist and as part of chamber groups. Winner of the keyboard section of the 2019 ROSL music competition, he is also currently a Young Artist at St. John’s Smith Square, as well as a Young Artist of the Oxford Lieder Festival alongside fellow Australian mezzo-soprano Lotte Betts-Dean. Joseph is not only a keen sock enthusiast but also chamber musician, performing frequently with multiple groups - Tritium (clarinet) trio, Trio Derazey and Duo Ex Libris, as well as collaborating in many other duos. He is also a member of the LSO percussion ensemble with whom he has released two CDs on the LSO Live label, including the premiere recording of John Adams’ two-piano work Roll Over Beethoven. 

Passionate about modern and contemporary music, he is a founding member and artistic director of contemporary music collective Ensemble x.y. During his time studying he gave performances of concertos by Ligeti, Messiaen, Stravinsky and others, which has led him to collaborate with such composers as Michael Finnissy, Sir Harrison Birtwistle, Gerald Barry and Thomas Larcher. 

Current projects include the performance and subsequent recording of all of Finnissy's piano concertos with conductor Jack Sheen. He is also an avid composer, having written for the aforementioned ensembles.