Gunel Mirzayeva
pianist
pianist
Gunel Mirzayeva, With a life long passion for J.S. Bach’s music, British-Azerbaijani pianist Gunel Mirzayeva has a deeply personal approach which weaves together various musical styles. In 2020, Gunel completed a doctorate at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London under supervision of Ronan O’Hora. During her performance based research she explored the diverse representation of classical improvisational traditions under the guidance of the leading expert in this field Professor Robert Levin, with a special emphasis on Bach’s keyboard repertoire. Gunel was invited to the prestigious artistic residencies at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Canada and the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris where she initiated new concert projects and developed creative interpretations of Bach’s music. As a concert pianist, Gunel performs extensively throughout the UK and Europe. Notable performances include concerts at the Wigmore Hall, the Barbican in London, and Het Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. As a researcher, Gunel was selected to take part at the 8th European Platform for Artistic Research in Music in 2021 and the 46th World Conference for Traditional Music in 2022. There she presented a series of lecture-recitals on ‘mugham/Baroque integration’ as part of performance practices along and beyond the regions of the Great Silk Road. In the past few years, Gunel has endeavoured on an exciting musical journey and created a series of exciting solo piano projects entitled ‘Bach-Mugham’, ‘Variations on Goldberg’, ‘Bach Triptych’ and ‘Turkish March with a Twist’. Some of these works have formed the core material for her debut solo album which she is planning to record in May 2026 with the UK classical record label Deux-Elles. Alongside her ideas, Gunel gives regular recitals in the UK and Europe where she performs, and presents, personal interpretations of the Baroque, Classical and Romantic piano repertoire. Additionally, in January 2027 she begins a new artistic collaboration with Compagnie La Renaissance in Switzerland.