“Why do people compose music? Why do people listen to music? When we go into a concert, we go into a place where we want to experience a sort of ecstasy, to come out of ourselves.”

British and Australian classical pianist, composer and writer

Sir Stephen Andrew Gill Hough is a British and Australian classical pianist, composer, and writer. He is known for a career that spans performance, composition, and writing, with work rooted in the classical music tradition. Hough’s public reputation comes from his activity across several musical roles rather than from a single field. He performs as a pianist, composes music, and writes, making him a distinctive figure in contemporary classical culture.