Work TBA
Composed for Fergus Ascot
Commissioned by the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) as part of the ANAM Set 2027 and written for Fergus Ascot, to be premiered during ANAM’s 2027 recital season.
The 2027 ANAM Set commissions are supported by the Anthony and Sharon Lee Foundation.
About the composer:
Rob Hao is an Australian pianist and composer. His compositions and performances have taken him around Australia, the UK and across continental Europe, with his musicianship having been described as "absolute stillness" to "stirring and impetuous" (SoundsLikeSydney).
Rob was born in Auckland, New Zealand and raised in Sydney, Australia. He then moved to London and graduated from the Royal College of Music, specialising in both composition and piano where he also won first prize for both disciplines in the Contemporary Music Competition alongside prizes for song accompaniment. He also studied with the Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme, the Dartington School, the Arnold Schoenberg Centre in Vienna, and the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group.
Rob’s work has also been broadcast on ABC Radio National, BBC Radio 3 and 2MBS Fine Music, and as a pianist, he has performed at the Sydney Opera House, Melbourne Recital Centre, Aldeburgh, Beethoven Piano Society of Europe and the Manchester Festival of Song. Rob's recent compositions have taken inspiration from a variety of musical sources - from sea shanties to Schoenberg (and much more). He was the winner of the High Barnet Chamber Music Festival’s inaugural Call for Scores and was subsequently commissioned to compose for the Mad Song Ensemble. Other pieces have been commissioned and performed by standard issue, the Thames Festival Trust and BCMG’s NEXT Ensemble. With the support of Arts Council England, Help Musicians and the Francis Routh Trust, his debut LP Palimpsest was released in September 2025. He currently lives in London.
Rob is based overseas, but is from Sydney / Gadigal.
Instagram: @robhao
Facebook: @haorob
Photo credit: James Chen