Yesterday, when I was coaching at King’s Place, we had a tea break between sessions. Some of the younger participants were airing their current dilemmas about fees and conditions. In particular, they were wondering aloud about their situation as young professionals: how willing should they be to do things for very little money, in order [...]

On Tuesday morning, 19 October, I’m giving a masterclass in ‘the art of piano chamber music’ in the Recital Hall of the Royal College of Music in South Kensington from 10am-1pm. Tickets are free, but you have to book them via this link or by calling the RCM box office on 020 7591 4314.
I’ll be working with three [...]

To East Bergholt in Suffolk for a concert with the Florestan Trio. The artist John Constable was born in East Bergholt, and used to walk through the fields to school in Dedham. He later said it was that landscape which inspired him to become a painter.
Before the rehearsal, Bob and I walked along that same [...]

In BBC Music magazine, Rebecca Franks muses on why the musicians who write books about their experience of music tend to be pianists. Read her article.
It’s a fascinating topic and one I’m often asked about. There are various possibilities: pianists are loners, and so are writers. The composers of great piano music were often people who [...]

The first concert of the new season for the Florestan Trio is on Tuesday 5 October at 7.30pm at Wigmore Hall, part of the Schumann bicentenary celebrations.
What is it about Schumann which makes him such a favourite of musicians? He isn’t always a favourite at the box office; in fact promoters sometimes sigh with disappointment on [...]