Over the weekend I was fortunate to visit Cambridge University for a performance of a short choral piece that I wrote for choir a few years ago. This performance was held at Trinity College Chapel and conducted by the senior organ scholar, Augustine Cox. It formed part of a concert celebrating music by British and…
Tag: Australia
Australian Guild of Music & Speech: The 2026 Piano Syllabus
This week I learned that nearly 60 of my original piano compositions have been included in the Australian Guild of Music & Speech examination board’s new 2026 piano exam syllabus. For a composer, it’s always a delight to hear that one’s music has been included in any publication, but for it to be featured in…
ANZCA Piano Exam Syllabus 2025-2027
ANZCA (Australian and New Zealand Cultural Arts Limited) are a music examination board popular across Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand. Based in Australia, they have been operating since 1938. ANZCA offers comprehensive programmes for most instruments and this year they have just published a new piano syllabus. There are three syllabus…
A Keynote Speech and an Asia-Pacific Adventure
On June 29th I embarked on my largest and certainly longest book tour to date. This one had taken considerable preparation and financial support from both Schott Music and Hal Leonard Australia. These trips are usually fun, inspiring, fascinating and educational, and this Australasian extravaganza was nothing short of amazing. The tour started in Singapore…
Asia-Pacific Book Tour
This weekend marks the start of my longest and largest ever book tour and I’ll be visiting Singapore, Australia and Hong Kong. I’ve undertaken many tours since the publication of my first series for Schott back in 2017. They are always a lot of fun, very engaging, and a great opportunity to connect with teachers…
Ruth Nye in conversation with Melanie Spanswick
The twenty-fourth interview in my Classical Conversations Series features Australian pianist and esteemed teacher Ruth Nye. We chatted at Jaques Samuel Pianos in London. Find out more about Ruth, here. Here’s the transcript for those who prefer to read interviews: MELANIE SPANSWICK: Australian concert pianist and esteemed teacher, Ruth Nye has performed extensively. Her students…
Piers Lane in conversation with Melanie Spanswick
My twenty-first Classical Conversation is with Australian concert pianist Piers Lane who chatted to me at Steinway Hall in London. Find out more about Piers, here. For those who prefer to read interviews, here is the transcript; MELANIE SPANSWICK: Australian concert pianist Piers Lane came to prominence in 1977 at the inaugural Sydney International Piano Competition…