Jan Rautio was born in Russia in 1980, and began his musical education at the Gnesin Special Music School in Moscow. He started playing the piano at the age of four and gave his first solo recital just three years later. Jan came to Britain in 1993 and was educated at Dulwich College. He made his London concerto debut in 1996 performing Shostakovich’s 2nd Piano Concerto in Fairfield Halls and a year later made his conducting debut there with Beethoven’s Egmont Overture.

In 1998 Jan won a scholarship to the Royal College of Music, where he won various prizes both for outstanding performances and his academic studies, and upon graduation in 2002, he received the highest mark awarded to a pianist in his year.

Jan founded the Rautio Piano Trio (see below), which has performed in many major London venues, and recently won the Tillett Trust award, which will result in a Wigmore Hall debut for the group later in 2005.

Jan will be playing Beethoven' 'Emperor' Piano Concerto with EMGSO in the University of Exeter Great Hall on Saturday 25th. November 2006 at 7.30 p.m.
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“This ensemble’s strength is that is plays to put across the music more than to flaunt its own undoubted talents - five stars and many more indeed!” Fairfield Croydon May 2005

The Rautio Piano Trio was chosen to join the Tillett Trust’s Young Artists’ Platform scheme in 2005. The Trio is a dynamic ensemble of outstanding prizewinning musicians who met whilst studying at the Royal Academy of Music in London. As individual soloists they have extensive performance experience at major London venues including the Wigmore Hall and Purcell Room. As well as winning scholarships at both undergraduate and postgraduate level to the Royal Academy and Royal College of Music, they hold an array of awards that include the Musicians Benevolent Fund, Countess of Munster Trust and English Speaking Union. Jane and Jan are an established duo and have been performing together for several years. Since forming the Rautio Piano Trio with Katherine in 2004, they have given many concerts in the UK including at the Holywell Music Room, St. James’s Piccadilly and Fairfield Hall. They have an increasing busy schedule which includes trio recitals at St. John’s Smith Square, National Portrait Gallery, Music at Duffield, Leeds Town Hall and performances at the Harrogate and Honiton Festivals. The Trio will make its Wigmore debut for YAP in September this year.

Jane Gordon - Violin "... Jane Gordon brings not only a ravishing tone and depth of timbre but a real sense of musical line to everything she plays." The Independent 2004
Jane graduated from the Royal Academy in July 2003 with Distinction and The Marjorie Hayward Prize for the highest Postgraduate violin final recital mark, the DipRAM Award, and The Beare Violin Prize. With duo-partner pianist Jan Rautio, Jane gave her Purcell Room debut in the Park Lane Young Artists Platform New Year Series 2004, for which she was generously lent the ‘Kustendyke’ Stradivarius Violin from the Royal Academy. In June 2004 she won the Anglo-Czechoslovak Competition and gave a recital in Prague in November. Jane was also a string finalist in the 2004 Royal Over-Seas League Music Competition and was awarded the Elias Fawcett Prize.

Katherine Jenkinson - Cello "…Katherine Jenkinson showed remarkable points in her intense & expressive performance” The Strad 2004
Katherine gained a first class degree from the Academy, Distinction and prestigious DipRAM award at postgraduate level, and ten Academy cello prizes including the Dorothy Grinstead Memorial Fund for a Fairfield Hall Recital. She was also awarded the "RAM Associate Studentship" for 2003/2004. In March 2004, Katherine gave her Wigmore Hall debut as a winner of The Maisie Lewis Young Artists Platform, playing on the Academy ‘Markevitch’ Stradivarius Cello. She has numerous concerto engagements in the U.K. and abroad, and regularly performs chamber music including a string sextet with the principal members of the CBSO. She has also made a CD of works composed for her by the composer Thomas Hyde.

Jan Rautio - Piano "…Rautio’s playing had a flowing quality that was almost Debussyan, while Gordon found passion and fire in even the most spare lyricism" The Evening Standard 2004
Jan was born in Russia where he began his musical education at the Gnesin School of Music in Moscow. Jan won a scholarship to the Royal College in 1998, where he graduated with a 1st class Honours degree and numerous prizes both for his academic achievements and performances, including being awarded the highest piano final recital mark in his year. He is presently a postgraduate scholar at the Royal Academy of Music as a student of Ian Fountain, and recipient of the Tobias Matthay fellowship.