Many thanks to Amanda and Jackie for inviting me to play a couple of gigs with them recently
. It was lovely to perform in such gorgeous venues and meet so many new people. I thoroughly enjoyed the variety of music – especially the tangos! The wheels of inspiration are in motion…..
News
Serenade Strings
Lifelines
I have just launched my third youtube creation! Trees are very sacred and powerful. They are indeed lifelines for oxygen and nutrients. I was lucky to have taken so many photos through the four season to last the six minute video. I wrote Lifelines in ’98 but recently rediscovered it and tried a piano and synthesizer combination which gave it a very spacious and slightly haunting feeling. I was amazed how certain photos felt so right. The music became a kind of chameleon through the seasons! Sound associations are so flexible and varied for everyone….life’s magic in synchronicity…..
New Inspirations!
Check out the new youtube called “Passages” which is my first video/music combination. It is interesting to play visually with sound which also shows my sources of inspiration. Take a look at the angel cloud at the end of the video….my dear friend Liz loved angels and it was a stroke of luck to find this for her.
There is another youtube in the pipeline called “Lifelines” using piano and synthesizer combined for a very spacious and haunting effect. Staying close to nature, my photos will be of beautiful trees and the hidden power of roots.
Happy New Year
Just returned from Canada visiting my folks and filmed many
new inspirations! The vastness of the landscape and power of
the colours are so uplifting in the winter months.
Winter in Canada is a mixture of deep blue and dull grey. The sky feels bigger on Lake Ontario!
I awoke early to witness a sunrise that appeared like a double sun – I tilted the camera for the deep red but that sun was mesmerizing in its reflection.
…..and then there was the ice….Nature creates instruments too – behold the “ice harp”!
Tucked up in the tree was a very tired racoon – I wonder what he got up to in the night?
and finally……..some very delicate beauties!
Follow Up!
Have a look at this document from Parliament!
It highlights the issues of music education in the public schools.
Perhaps the project with the celebrities has brought more awareness to the lack of resources for music making and maybe things will change as a result of this?!
Post-Concert
We all had a fabulous night at the gala concert for Children in Need. Everyone played Twinkle Twinkle very well and had lots of fun. I am so proud of Samantha. All of her hard work payed off on the night. It was not easy to play with two hands and chords (in 6 weeks)….plus synchronise with the group and orchestra on the day!
Being surrounded by the gorgeous orchestral sound was such honour for them and a once in a lifetime experience. It was also exciting to be part of the rehearsal and hear the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in its full glory. The conductor Grant Llewellyn was so good with them and really respected all they had achieved is such a short time.
Samantha and I were also privileged to hear the brilliant concert pianist Valentina Lisitsa warm up with the orchestra and play the Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No 2.She treated us to a wonderful encore at the end of the evening after the live show. The recording is available on iplayer for a week.
Parts of the performance were shown on the BBC Breakfast show (Oct 30) but will also be replayed at the live TV event on Friday November 16th.
We all have lots of happy memories and are so pleased to have raised money and awareness for Children in Need. The BBC is hoping this kind of music event can take place in the future as many were drawn to the celebrity challenge and may have a go with their own lessons as a result. Music is truly for everyone……even Pudsey!
Enjoy the behind the scenes photos.
Samantha Murray on Team Bath website
Team Bath have covered Samantha’s lessons for Children in Need on their blog.
Samantha Murray interview on Radio 3
Samantha Murray was interviewed by Sean Rafferty on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune on Thursday. Listen to the 3 minute interview on the BBC iPlayer (available until Thursday next week).
You can also follow the BBC’s Piano Season on Twitter with hashtag #bbcpiano
Big news!
Big news – I am involved in a BBC Radio 3 project with Olympic medallist Samantha Murray. She, and other celebrities, agreed to learn to play the piano in 6 weeks for Children in Need. They will be in a concert broadcast live on October 29th. The BBC website gives all of the details. It has been a great pleasure teaching her and we are all looking forward to the big event on Monday!
New Website
Hello and welcome to my wonderful upgraded website!
It is going to be fantastic with sound samples and down-loadable PDF files of my compositions.
Twitter is also a new addition so that those that would like to write to me can do so.
I am going to write about my ongoing research and creative processes in the blog as there will be some very unique website links to explore on the journey. I love to write so do stay tuned for developing themes!
It is wonderful to have this creative outlet and touch the lives of other people.
