Sam Haywood was born in Brisbane, Australia, to British parents. They returned to England before Sam’s second birthday and lived in the Lake District. During his early years he was mentored by David Hartigan and at the age of thirteen he was a finalist in the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition. Having been awarded the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Julius Isserlis Scholarship, he moved to Vienna to study with Paul Badura-Skoda. Maria Curcio, a pupil of Artur Schnabel, later became his close friend, teacher and a major influence.

He has since performed in major venues all over the world and has made a number of recordings, including one using Chopin’s own Pleyel piano. As a chamber musician regular partners have included Joshua Bell and Steven Isserlis. Sam is also a published composer, Artistic Director of the Solent Music Festival and the inventor of the memorization aid Memorystars.

Aside from music, his passions include literature, technology and magic.