Amateur aspirations

First, a full disclosure: I asked four organisers of some of the most popular residential piano courses if they could put me in touch with former students who might be willing to share their experienc

As series three of The Piano reaches its moving crescendo, Mika , Jon and Claudia reveal their highs, lows and audition pieces

It is mid-morning at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge. The main adult ICU ward is a scene of calm, professional bustle as critical care nurses and doctors attend patients, discuss medication and hu

Maurice Ravel has been an enduring part of my world, both as a performer and teacher. As a little girl I played the Mouvement de menuet from his Sonatine at a piano competition, which the renowned pia

There comes a point in life for most of us when we say, enough. We say goodbye to responsibilities that had begun to feel more like obligations, and we either seek new challenges, or find joy in what

I have Sir Neville Marriner to thank for pointing me in the direction of the podium. It was in conversation after a long Academy of St Martin in the Fields tour of Germany in 2004 that Sir Neville fir