~ In The Key Of Genius ~ Meet Piano Master Derek Paravicini ~

Meet Piano Superstar Derek Paravicini

Derek (b. 1979) is an extraordinarily talented pianist, despite being blind and having severe learning difficulties.  He plays entirely by ear, and has a repertoire of many thousands of pieces that he has memorised - jazz, pop and light classical - and he is a great improviser.  Derek has played in venues across the UK, including Ronnie Scott's and the Barbican Halls in London, in Europe and the U.S. and he has appeared in the news media across the world.

His first commercial CD Echoes of the Sounds to Be is now available for online purchase as well as download, and documentaries about his life have recently aired in the US, the UK, Australia, Germany and numerous other countries.  Derek was taught for many years by Adam Ockelford, Professor of Music at the University of Roehampton (from 29th of October 2007).

In the Key of Genius...

His biography In the Key of Genius, written by his mentor Adam Ockelford, has recently been published by Hutchinson, in the UK, Australia and Canada and is available in bookshops as well as in most online bookstores (now also available in paperback).

60 Minutes

http://youtu.be/Ak2jxmhCH1M 

You Raise Me Up

Rhydian Roberts Oxford Town Hall Concert

Keyboard By Derek Paravicini

http://youtu.be/ysVKDbZL_cA

Search Amazon.com for Derek Paravicini

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So You Think Classical Music Can't Be Fun ~ Think Again

Igudesman & Joo

Igudesman & Joo is a duo comprising classical musicians, Aleksey Igudesman and Richard Hyung-ki Joo, whose shows combine comedy with classical music and popular culture. They aim to make classical music accessible to a wider and younger audience.

Aleksey and Hyung-ki met at the age of twelve, at the Yehudi Menuhin School, in England, and since then, have remained strong friends and writing partners. In 2004, following in the footsteps of luminaries such as Victor Borge and Dudley Moore, they created their show, "A Little Nightmare Music". Since then, they have performed with major symphony orchestras around the world and have played at some of the world's biggest stages and festivals.

To View A Show Preview Clip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xui7x_KF7bY


For Tickets To Upcoming Toronto Shows

1. 02 Apr 2011 | 14:00 | IGUDESMAN & JOO: “A lit­tle Night­mare Music” Toronto, Canada
2. St. Lawrence Cen­ter for the Arts
   27. Front St. East

1. 02 Apr 2011 | 20:00 | IGUDESMAN & JOO “A lit­tle Night­mare Music” Toronto, Canada
2. St. Lawrence Cen­ter for the Arts
   27. Front St. East

http://www.igudesmanandjoo.com/

Search Amazon.com for Igudesman & Joo





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The Red Piano

Kirkus Reviews finds ‘The Red Piano’ beautiful

A nice, positive, preview of The Red Piano from U.S. review source Kirkus Reviews:

It’s 1975 in Communist China.  For five years, a young girl has endured manual labor, filth and hunger in exile at a re-education camp.

But tonight she will engage, once again, in an illicit act, the playing of the piano.  In a place where musicians are criminals, she risks it all and is caught.

The piano is smashed.  Her sentence is lengthened – yet the music lives on.  Based on international concert pianist Zhu Xiao-Mei’s life, Leblancs' story gives insight into the Cultural Revolution and its impact. The text may be heavy-handed at times, but the story is ripe for discussion, with themes of self-expression and freedom, the affirmation of the individual through art and music as a form of resistance.  Dazzling collage, pencil and paint illustrations from Barroux create a beautiful chiaroscuro of tension and release.  Well-controlled expressive marks portray the young musician’s isolation.  The limited palette of black, white and red-the latter of which is used to create a sense of intensity-is evocative of Communist China propaganda. A worthy and beautiful tale for historical and cultural studies.  Picture book for ages 6 & up will apparently be available January 2011.

http://wilkinsfarago.wordpress.com/2010/11/10/kirkus-reviews-finds-the-red-piano-beautiful/