The Second Prokofiev Festival: Yulia Chaplina

It’s always a pleasure to highlight special events, and this one is particularly exciting as it’s actually taking place ‘live’. Russian pianist Yulia Chaplina is the Artistic Director of The Second Prokofiev Festival to be held at the end of May in London. In this article, she offers a sneak preview, and reminds us of…

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Flipping musical misperceptions on their heads: Erica Sipes

My guest writer today is American pianist, writer and professor Erica Sipes. Erica is the author of the popular blog, Beyond The Notes, which provided the inspiration for my blog when I started almost ten years ago. In this article, Erica writes about an issue which often rears its head for many a musician. Over…

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Pianists From The Past: James Booker

My Pianists From The Past series goes from strength to strength; I’m delighted that so many musicians have participated. You can read all the articles in this series on my blog archives page, here. Today’s post features jazz pianist James Booker. This article has been written by British jazz pianist, composer and educator Tim Richards,…

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My work as a composer: Wendy Edwards Beardall-Norton

My guest writer today is Canadian composer and teacher Wendy Edwards Beardall-Norton. Wendy has taught the piano for over 40 years and, more recently, she has been writing music for it. In this article she describes her journey towards composition, and how she became a published composer. You can also enjoy her music by hearing…

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Julian Lloyd Webber at 70

Today’s guest post has been penned by Julian Lloyd Webber, who turns 70 today. A musician needing no introduction, I am honoured to feature Julian’s work here on my blog. This renowned ‘cellist has also become a beacon for music education, and, as the following article testifies, he has worked, and continues to work, tirelessly…

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Practice Tips for Exam Pieces: Christopher Norton

Today’s guest post has been written by renowned composer Christopher Norton. This is the first article in a mini-series on this blog over the next few months, where Chris will take students through his own piano pieces, many of which are currently featured on various exam syllabuses, offering helpful practice tips and suggestions. We begin…

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An Easter Master Class

Wishing you a very peaceful and restful Easter break. Wherever you are in the world, I hope you’re able to share it with your friends and family, despite the continuing pandemic restrictions. I’d like to celebrate with this master class which was filmed in 1973. Taken from the Jerusalem Music Centre’s archives, this historic class…

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Tricky Corners: Wrist Circles & Finger Articulation

Speed isn’t always synonymous with clarity.  My work as an adjudicator can testify to the fact that’s it’s quite common to hear semiquaver (or demisemiquaver) passages played in a ‘garbled’, unstable, or just plain unrhythmical, manner; either too fast, with the tendency to rush through technically challenging sections resulting in the inevitable slips, errors and…

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Pianists From The Past: Vera Franceschi

The Pianist from the Past in the spotlight today is Italian-American pianist Vera Franceschi, and as I have enjoyed her playing over the past few years, I have written this post myself. During her short life, Vera Franceschi made her mark on the concert stage working with some of the world’s greatest conductors and orchestras….

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Weekend competition: The Winners

Many thanks to all those who took part in my weekend competition. The prize is a digital download copy of Play Women Composers, which is a new and interesting publication from Pianist Magazine. You can find out more about it here. The three winners are: Leila J Viss,  AmyPianist, and Astrid C Congratulations! Please send…

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