Music
First and foremost I’m a harpsichordist and player of various other keyboard instruments like piano and organ. I’m lucky enough to play with some of the very best musicians in the UK in groups like Passacaglia, Feinstein Ensemble, London Baroque, Florilegium and King’s Consort, and I play solo recitals as often as I can. My concert diary and more information is here.
Recently I’ve also started playing synthesizers (again). I direct Art of Moog, playing ’21st Century Hyper-Bach’. You can find out more about that on my Projects and Collaborations page.
Teaching
I teach harpsichord, continuo, tuning and other early keyboards at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and in private practice.
Music Technology
I’m also often busy with techie things. I’m a regular author and reviewer for Sound on Sound magazine, published in the UK, US and Brazil – I write about and review music technology hardware and software. I also produce and engineer records, mostly in the classical field, and run my own label, Barn Cottage Records. I’m often working on recording projects for publishers like Schott, Faber and Boosey & Hawkes too.
Biog
I grew up near Bristol, UK and studied piano and violin from an early age. As well as playing keyboards in various shows, I was also recording and writing using simple studio equipment of the day. I attended the Royal College of Music in London in the early 1990s, studied piano, and later focused on harpsichord. While I was there I was generously supported by The Worshipful Company of Musicians and the Wolfson Foundation. In 1995 I won the Broadwood Harpsichord Competition and, as a member of Passacaglia, was a prizewinner in the Early Music Network Competition in York.
After a stint of school teaching I committed fully to performing, recording and writing, wondered why on earth I hadn’t done it before, and haven’t looked back since. I’m married to the recorder player and flautist Annabel Knight – we live near Cirencester, UK. Personal interests include photography, cycling and mountaineering.