Ailsa Aitkenhead is a professional pianist, accompanist and piano teacher. She studied piano accompaniment at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. She graduated with distinction, achieved the Alex Menzies award for an outstanding accompanist and was highly commended in the governor’s recital prize. Since then she has worked as a staff accompanist at Edinburgh University and St Andrews University. She is the Pianist in Residence for the Reid Consort Choral Society; Principal Pianist at St Marks Unitarian church; and the Head Accompanist for Three Bridges Opera company.

Ailsa is a frequent performer across Scotland. She has performed with Edinburgh Society of Musicians; Greyfriars kirk; St Michael and All Saints Edinburgh festival concert series; Balerno Music Festival; Scottish Arts Club and many more. She has a wide range of duos and collaborations in performance.

Recent highlights have included a radio broadcast on BBC Classics Unwrapped with soprano Jessica Leary and clarinettist Jean Johnson; the best-selling recital at Chamber Music Scotland’s ‘At One With Music’ series; and a performance as soloist in Rhapsody in Blue with Edinburgh University Sinfonia Orchestra