Nicholas McCarthy was born in 1989 without his right hand and through sheer determination rose above many obstacles and indeed active discouragement to pursue his love of the piano. Going on to study at the prestigious Royal College of Music in London.

His graduation in July 2012 drew press headlines around the world, being the only one-handed pianist to graduate from the RCM in its 130 year history. In March 2018 he was awarded honorary membership by it’s President, HRH The Prince of Wales.

Nicholas is a champion of the dynamic and brave world of left hand alone repertoire, a repertoire that first came into being in the early 19th century and developed rapidly following the First World War as a result of the many injuries suffered on the battlefield.

He has performed extensively throughout the UK including major venues including The Royal Albert Hall. Internationally Nicholas has toured and performed in France, Belgium, Holland, South Africa, Malta, Kazakhstan, Japan, China, South Korea the Kennedy Centre in the US and most recently a concerto tour in Russia.

One of Nicholas’s proudest moments was performing with the British Paraorchestra at the Closing Ceremony of the 2012 Paralympic games where they played alongside Coldplay and gave a rendition of the Paralympic anthem in front of an audience of 86,000 people and half a billion worldwide viewers.

His concert performances, recordings and media features have gained critical acclaim. However his ongoing commitment to encouraging new audiences to classical music along with his work with young people through music education is ever present in his schedule.

Motivational speaking engagements have seen Nicholas speak for a wide range of schools, businesses and institutions. One of the most enjoyable of these was his TED Talk at The Royal Albert Hall.

In November 2020 Nicholas presented Wittgenstein, Zichy & Me on BBC Radio 3. Previously Nicholas has guest presented for the BBC Proms and Leeds International Piano Competition.