Soloists

The Mirfield Piano Walk 2026 is a one-day community event that turns the town into a musical journey. Audiences follow a set route, stopping at various venues—such as churches, a cricket club, fire station, and historic buildings—to hear live piano performances from amateurs, graduates, and professionals.

On this page we are introducing our soloists to you.

Aidan Mikdad

We’re delighted to share that Aidan Mikdad has confirmed his participation in the Mirfield Piano Walk. Aidan, a Dutch pianist, first performed in 2014 at the ‘Pianowandeling in Edam’ as a 13-year-old. Since then, his career has flourished.

 In July 2023, Aidan Mikdad was awarded The Queen’s Commendation for Excellence at his graduation ceremony from the Royal Academy of Music (University of London), where he received a Master of Arts in Performance with Distinction. He also earned the prestigious DipRAM after achieving an outstanding mark of 97/100 in his Final Recital.

Between 2021 and 2023, he studied with Professor Joanna MacGregor at the Royal Academy of Music, supported by the Bicentenary Scholarship for graduate studies.

Prior to that, in June 2021, he graduated summa cum laude from the Conservatory of Amsterdam under Professor Naum Grubert, earning a bachelor’s degree in music with a perfect score of 10/10.

Since 2023, he has resumed lessons with Professor Grubert at the Conservatory of Amsterdam. He currently practises on a Fazioli grand piano, generously provided by the Dutch Musical Instrument Foundation.

Aidan has been active in international piano competitions from a young age, earning numerous accolades. Over the years he has won many prestigious prices and we are therefore proud that he agreed to play in Mirfield.

Aidan will perform at the closing concert in St. Marys church.

Mia Odeley

Mia is a versatile musician, known for her expressive style and interpretative depth. She has extensive experience performing both as a soloist and as part of ensembles, and is particularly drawn to composing and exploring repertoire that transcends traditional genre boundaries.

With over ten years of stage experience, Mia has performed for both formal and informal audiences—ranging from charity concerts to competitive music festivals such as Blackheath and Kingston. Her notable achievements include winning Wandsworth Young Musician of the Year 2022, where she performed works by Rachmaninoff and Margaret Bonds on solo piano.

Mia is an avid explorer of classical music by composers of the African diaspora, with a special interest in the works of early 20th-century African American women, including Florence Price and Margaret Bonds.

In 2025, she was a finalist in Channel 4’s The Piano, making a powerful impression with her performance of Sinner, Don’t Let This Harvest Pass, in which she both played and sang.

Leslie Hollingworth

Leslie is a dedicated music teacher based in Huddersfield, passionate about nurturing musical talent and inspiring his students to achieve their best.

Leslie has performed as a chamber and solo pianist throughout the UK, USA, Europe and Asia.  He has collaborated and recorded with international solo artists including the late American cellist Lynn Harrell, violinist Clio Gould, horn player Michael Thompson, cellist Kirstin Spencer, and formed the Szabo Trio with violinist Gabrielle Painter and cellist Ben Rogerson.

Leslie has appeared at major concert venues including London’s Wigmore Hall, Beijing Concert Hall, Shannon International Music Festival, Endellion Festival, Chichester Festival Theatre, Conservatorio di Milano, The Kodaly Institute in Kecskemet, Festival de Pollenca, Palermo Opera House, Ehrbarsaal in Vienna and Teatro Communale, Bologna.

Recorded output includes broadcasts for Italian Radio with Lynn Harrell and for Lyric FM with the Szabo Trio.  The Szabo Trio recorded a promotional CD at Champs Hill, West Sussex with the generous sponsorship of Dame Patricia Routledge DBE.

More recent solo recordings of Leslie can be heard at Apple Music and Amazon Music. We are proud that Leslie is performing during our first edition of the Mirfield Piano Walk.

In the coming months we will introduce our other soloists one by one, following our postings on Facebook, Instagram and X.