I have been playing piano since I was 9 year old, and it is the passion of my life. Although I wouldn't say that I was talented I attained a Diploma from Trinity College London in 1997.
I play lots of stuff, from Mozart to musicals to Celine Dion. I have a done a few weddings and a few nights as a restaurant pianist - good fun AND you get paid!
I also teach piano and continue to further my own musical knowledge. I have had some amazing experiences dueting at a piano and when I have my own house I will have a grand piano.
I enjoy collecting instruments from my travels and have flutes from Nepal and Peru, drums from Morocco, and pan pipes from Peru.
Electronics and software meet music in my 'midi enabled' acoustic piano and some software I have written.
"There can be no complete spiritual life without music, for the human soul has regions wh ich can be illuminated only by music." - Zoltan Kodaly.
Full music career:
Spring 1986 – grade 1 ABRSM piano with 112 marks out of 150.
- Had my first piano lesson on 19th January 1984 at the age of 9 – I was a late starter! I learned what a semibreve, a minim and a crotchet looked like and how C and D looked like in the treble clef.
- After the summer of 1985 my piano teacher stopped teaching and on October 5th I started lessons with a Mrs Musgrave. Mrs Musgrave was a senior citizen and I remember that she had an electric fire to warm your hands at. She was more geared towards exams.
Summer 1986 – grade 2 ABRSM piano with merit.
Autumn 1986 - grade 3 ABRSM piano.
Summer 1987 – passed my Grade 3 theory exam with 89 marks out of 99.
Summer 1988 – grade 5 ABRSM piano, now with Mrs E Staley.
Summer 1989 - passed my Grade 5 theory exam with distinction.
Spring 1990 – grade 6 piano.
Spring 1992 – grade 7 piano.
2nd May 1994 – won the “piano interpretation” section of Carrickfergus Music Festival.
5th December 1994 passed my Grade 8 ABRSM on the second attempt with merit.
Summer 1996 – grade 5 organ with distinction under Nigel McClintock, and grade 8 theory.
May 1997 – Associate Diploma from Trinity College London in Piano Solo (ATCL) after 9 months of committed work.
Spring 1998 – grade 6 organ with merit.
December 1998 – made first attempt at AmusTCL exam. Did not reach the pass mark.
April 1999 – put on a piano concert to raise funds for my church hall .
June 2000 – Attained 120 (merit) in ABRSM grade 8 Organ.