SINGAPORE – British classical pianist Kathryn Stott does not know how or what she will play for leisure after she retires from her 45-year whirlwind career on stage at the end of 2024.

She has only ever played for work since her career took off abruptly when she was 19. Placing fifth at the Leeds International Piano Competition in 1978, Stott went from performing zero to 90 concerts a year. “I didn’t feel like I could say no to anything,” she says.

Now, at the midpoint of her farewell tour, which ends with a final recital in Liverpool on Dec 11 – a day after she turns 66 – she wonders about the new relationship she will have with an instrument she has played since age five.

“I’m curious to know how I will go (back) to the piano – how long it might take me. It might be a week or months later. The fact is, I have a choice,” says Stott, whose storied career includes a 40-year musical partnership with legendary American cellist Yo-Yo Ma and performing at the BBC Proms, an annual classical concert held at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

Stott – who performed in Singapore with Ma at the Victoria Concert Hall in 1993 – will make a final professional appearance in the country at the same venue on Aug 31. She plays with Chinese-Australian cellist Qin Li-Wei, who teaches at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music.

While Stott’s career has allowed her to travel worldwide, her packed schedule meant she has not been able to see much of the cities she plays in, including Singapore. She says: “You arrive as late as possible in the country or city, and you leave as soon as possible to get home to your family.”

This time, she will arrive in Singapore a day earlier and plans to walk around the city and markets to observe everyday life. She is learning to slow down and talks about finding more time for pottery, drawing and the countryside – as well as being a grandmother.

“To be a musician at a high level requires incredible discipline, it’s never-ending. You have to stay in shape like an athlete,” says Stott. It is not just about the strength of the fingers, she says, as pianists use muscles throughout their body and can feel tired from continuous practice.

But comparing professional music with athletes such as tennis players, she says: “They have all these coaches, physiotherapists, mental coaches – like eight people around them – ...