The Wimbledon BookFest has asked me to mention them, and I’m happy to spread the word as my own event is one of the first in this year’s BookFest.
The festival runs from 2-10 October and you can find out more here. On the evening of Saturday 2 October I’m giving a talk, at a lovely house [...]

Yesterday I was at a conference about creativity in performance. There were many interesting speakers, several of whom told anecdotes to make their points clear. 
At one point we were talking about the curious blend of involvement and detachment that seems to be necessary for high-level performance. Involvement alone is not as helpful as you might [...]

Last time I saw Anthony Gormley’s bronze figures, they were perched on top of various London buildings. When you crossed Waterloo Bridge on foot, you had time to spot several of them in perilous locations, looking unnervingly like people who might have to be talked down from a ledge.
They disappeared from London a while ago, [...]

Following on from yesterday’s post about the Scottish International Piano Competition, anyone who’s interested in the new chamber music round may like to read Kenneth Walton’s article on the subject in today’s Scotsman newspaper. The chamber final is tonight at 7pm in the Concert Hall of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

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I’m in rainy Glasgow, half way through my fortnight on the jury of the triennial Scottish International Piano Competition. Obviously I can’t say much as the competition is still in progress, but I can say how absorbing it’s been to hear so many accomplished young pianists from all around the world.
So many different styles of [...]