Francis Atkins is a fiery and passionate Australian musician. His steadily flourishing career as a pianist has seen him onstage in music festivals and recitals in Japan and throughout Australia.
In 2025, Francis feels privileged to be in his second year at ANAM, studying under Timothy Young. Driven by the fear of ever having to specialise, he was drawn to ANAM’s mission for creating young musicians with multifaceted skillsets. A highlight for him was collaborating with Australian composers Brett Dean and Michael Kieran Harvey on performances of their piano works and giving the Australian premiere of Brett Dean’s work “Faustian Pact (Hommage à Liszt)”. He was also thrilled to study under titans in the world of pianism, including Timothy Young, Massimiliano Ferrati, Wolfram Schmitt-Leonardy, Kirill Gerstein, and Paavali Jumppanen.
2023 saw Francis take to the international and domestic stages with force, featuring in chamber music performances in Japan, and homegrown performances in the Brisbane Music Festival, Sunshine Coast Chamber Music Festival, Voxalis Opera, and as a concerto soloist with the Brisbane Concert Orchestra. As a competitor in recent years, Francis received first place in the Basil Jones Sonata Prize, the Hilda Woolmer competition for collaborative piano, and the Minnie May Bussey competition for solo piano. He was also recently awarded the répétiteur scholarship in the prestigious Lisa Gasteen National Opera Program.
As a regular human being, Francis hails from the beach town of Byron Bay on the north coast of NSW. He often forgets to water his houseplants but loves swimming in the ocean and a good Tempranillo.
FROM: Sydney, NSW. Lands of the Arakwal people of the Bundjalung nation.
Francis is supported by ANAM Syndicate donors Elizabeth Butcher AM, Sieglind D'Arcy, Mark Debeljak and Daniel Lehrer, Andrea Goldsmith, Mike and Jane Hall, Hilary Newman.
Photo by Pia Johnson