GUEST ARTICLES
A series of posts written by guest writers on many aspects of pianism and music education.
The Joy of Duets: Eleonor Bindman
Pianist, arranger and writer Eleonor Bindman (pictured to the left) is my guest writer this week. Eleonor has, amongst many other projects, composed a new arrangement of the six Brandenburg Concertos for piano-four-hands. Eleonor’s Brandenburg Duets were completed and recorded in 2017, released by Naxos Records on their Grand Piano label in March 2018, published…
An Interview with Anna Sutyagina
I first met Anna Sutyagina several years ago on Facebook. I admire the way she has built a successful career performing and recording contemporary piano music, and sharing it with her growing legion of fans. Anna is the artistic director of Moving Classics TV. It highlights her own recordings, videos and interviews. These include a…
The Primrose Piano Quartet record Brahms Piano Quartets: John Thwaites
The Primrose Piano Quartet is widely regarded as one of the U.K.’s leading chamber ensembles. They are named after the great viola player William Primrose, and they enjoy a busy performing schedule worldwide, with regular appearances at London’s major concert halls. The ensemble’s most recent recording focuses on the complete piano quartets of Johannes Brahms….
How to Make a Professional Recording – 16 Tips: Rhonda Rizzo
My guest writer today is American pianist and author Rhonda Rizzo. Rhonda’s previous guest post focused on her new novel The Waco Variations. Rhonda has enjoyed considerable success as a recording artist. I asked her to write about her experiences in the recording studio. One of the biggest goals most musicians have is to create…
The Waco Variations – writing about music: Rhonda Rizzo
My guest writer today is Rhonda Rizzo. Rhonda is an American pianist and author, and in the following post, she explains how and why she started writing fiction. Her first novel, The Waco Variations, has been well received, and here, she outlines the plot and offers a few thoughts on writing about music. “In the…
Sounds of Intent: Sum Yee Chan
The first guest post of the year has been written by Sum Yee Chan who is a specialist in Genitourinary medicine in London. She has recently completed a course entitled Sounds of Intent at Roehampton University. Sounds of Intent is a framework of musical development for children with learning difficulties. According to the university, ‘The Sounds of Intent programme…
Beethoven Piano Concerto Project: David Alexander
Beethoven’s piano concertos are amongst the most emotionally satisfying in the whole piano repertoire. Pianist and teacher David Alexander has been programming all five concertos in London. He has been doing this as part of his own Beethoven project for the past few years. On January 10th 2019 he will be performing Beethoven Piano Concerto…
“Ein Prosit der Gemütlichkeit!”*) – Four Famous Composers at the Wiesn**): Wolf-Dieter Seiffert
My guest writer this week is Dr. Wolf-Dieter Seiffert, president of the renowned Urtext publishers G. Henle Verlag. This light-hearted story takes place at the famous beer festival and features several rather well-known composers. Written by Dr. Seiffert, it was first published on the G. Henle Verlag blog. Yesterday evening I was once again sitting…
A Canadian Playlist: Maggie Morrison
My guest writer is Canadian pianist, teacher, adjudicator and musicologist Maggie Morrison. Maggie is studying for her doctorate at the University of Toronto. She is researching the piano music of Canadian composer David L. McIntyre. I asked her what qualities pervade David’s music and what drew her to study the music of contemporary Canadian composers….
Teaching Piano Improvisation to Groups: Christopher Norton
My guest writer today is renowned New Zealand born composer and music educator Christopher Norton. Christopher is well-known for his Microjazz series; a collection of jazz piano books for students of all levels which has sold well over a million copies worldwide. More recently, he has written Micromusicals for schools, and he continues to compose music…
Composing – An underrated tool in teacher’s toolkits: Jenni Pinnock
My guest writer today is British composer and teacher Jenni Pinnock, who is based in Cambridgeshire. Jenni is a busy composer and her works have been performed worldwide. She also runs a private teaching practice. Here, she offers teachers and students a few inspired ideas for incorporating composition into lessons. “There is nothing greater than…
At the piano with Phyllis Sellick: Clara Rodriguez
My guest writer today is Venezuelan pianist and teacher Clara Rodriguez. Clara came to the UK as a young student on a scholarship to study at the Royal College of Music in London. At the RCM, she studied with eminent professor Phyllis Sellick, who had a profound influence on her development as a pianist and…