A Pakistani-Filipino Yorkshireman who has performed for the Prince of Monaco, crowdfunded a #1 album, and played in 30 countries. He became a senior lecturer at 28.

'One to watch,' said The Independent. A 'rising star,' said BBC Music Magazine. A 'Young Classical Star,' said ClassicFM. The Mail on Sunday went further, calling Emmanuel Vass, ‘one of the most charismatic pianists on the contemporary scene’.

Manny's second album, Sonic Waves, was crowdfunded to 165% of target - water-themed classical repertoire alongside his own arrangements of traditional British sea shanties. Broadcast on ClassicFM, BBC Radio 3, and BBC World Service, it reached #1 in the UK specialist classical chart, held a place in the top 10 for a month, and was featured in Attitude and Cheshire Life. His debut, From Bach to Bond, set the template: a pianist as comfortable with the demands of Bach as with his own Liszt-style arrangements of the James Bond theme and Bohemian Rhapsody.

That versatility fills the diary. Manny has performed at The Bridgewater Hall, Edinburgh Fringe, Sheffield Cathedral, Hexham Abbey, Castle Howard, and the Welcome to Asia festival - and across London at Steinway Hall, the Queen's Theatre West End, Kensington Palace Gardens, 1901 Arts Club, St Lawrence Jewry, and St James's Piccadilly. He has played for Lord Levy and the Russian ambassador in the Golden Room at Kensington Palace Gardens, for the Filipino ambassador at St Sepulchre's, and for the French ambassador at The Lowry. At the Variety Club Jubilee Ball he shared a programme with The Manfreds, Blake, and Lulu, performing for the Prince and Princess of Monaco.

Then there is the sea. As solo pianist aboard Cunard's prestigious ocean liner, the Queen Mary 2, Manny has completed one and a half world voyages, 32 transatlantic crossings, and extended seasons in the Caribbean and the Norwegian Fjords - thousands of miles and hundreds of recitals, from mid-Atlantic swell to the stillness of the fjords.

On land, he is Lecturer in Entrepreneurship and Module Leader at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, where he has taught since 2020 - part of thirteen unbroken years lecturing in higher education. He is the founder of Emmanuel Vass Records, and speaks internationally on entrepreneurship in the arts, most recently at Music & Drama Expo (London), the BSME Arts Conference (Dubai), Reeperbahn Festival (Hamburg), and the Norwegian Academy of Music (Oslo).

Born in Manila and raised in East Yorkshire, Manny passed Grade 8 with distinction at 15 and trained with Robert Markham at Yorkshire Young Musicians. Four years at the Royal Northern College of Music followed, studying with John Gough under scholarships from the Leverhulme and Sir John Manduell Scholarship Trusts. He graduated in 2011.