The musician’s life is akin to the sportsperson’s: the many hours of specialist training, the constant need to hone and improve one’s techniques and skill base, to keep fit and build stamina to cope with the Herculean learning and upkeep

A standing ovation is a form of applause where members of a seated audience stand up while applauding after extraordinary performances of particularly high acclaim. In Ancient Rome returning military commanders (such as Marcus Licinius Crassus after his defeat of

Musicians will be familiar with this image of an iceberg. The tip, the visible part, represents our public persona and the music we perform and share with others, while the much larger mass which is hidden below the surface of

The concert hall is like the theatre, and the performer the actor on the stage. And for the audience, a concert is both a visual and aural experience – we “listen” with eyes as well as ears. Today audiences are

I’m often asked to turn the pages for pianists at my local music society, but I tend to decline because the responsibility of page-turning is one which should not be taken lightly. An ability to read music well does not

Concert noun 1. a public musical performance in which a number of singers or instrumentalists, or both, participate. 2. a public performance, usually by an individual singer, instrumentalist, or the like; recital: Earlier this year, I took part in a

Piano courses are the “in thing” right now, in part thanks to Alan Rusbridger’s book Play It Again. For many years, Alan was a regular at what he described as “piano camp” – Lot Music, based in the Lot-et-Garonne region

‘Intense.’ ‘Gripping.’ ‘Unsettling.’ ‘Must-see!’ Several people have asked me whether I have seen Damien Chazelle’s film, Whiplash, and these were words they all used to describe the drama. Though apprehensive about films centred on musicians or on musical genres because