Sophia Benton is a young left-hand alone pianist; due to a netball injury in 2012, which led to the condition of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, she was unable to play the piano with her right hand.

Sophia was awarded a scholarship to study at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and in 2023 was the first person to graduate from the conservatoire with a Bachelor of Music (Honours) in left-hand alone piano. Under the tutelage of Alison Bowring, she performed both well-known and unheard solo piano works for left-hand alone, in addition to gaining experience arranging music for herself in an accompaniment and ensemble setting.

She performed in masterclasses with artists such as Valentina Lisitsa, Charles Owen and Llyr Williams, and her performance in the 2020 EPTA piano competition was rated by the adjudicator as ‘outstanding’. As well as performing, Sophia enjoys academic research and writing, and in her final year of undergraduate studies wrote a first-class dissertation on ‘An exploration of disabled pianists’ careers through the lens of disability studies’.

In 2022, Sophia recorded duets with Nicholas McCarthy for the album ‘Pasture and Storm’, featuring new music for left-hand alone piano in ensemble settings. It’s hugely important to Sophia to continue working with composers to create suitable and stylistic works to expand the current pool of repertoire.

Sophia is currently working as the Musician in Residence at Bryanston School. After leaving Bryanston, Sophia will work as a freelance musician, and hopes to further her studies in both piano performance and performance psychology.