In the front room of my grandmother’s house there was a big, black piano. This magical piece of furniture evoked great curiosity when I was about five years old. My much older brother, Phil, was learning piano at the time and played half of this emotional piece of music, a piece which had so much honesty and power. I later learnt it was ‘Moonlight Sonata’ by Beethoven.

So upon my grandmother’s insistence I started having lessons with a lovely local teacher who treated me more like a son than a pupil.

I soon caught the bug and would play about three hours per day after school. My father loved music, especially musicals and we would listen to them on his record player and big speakers.

Royal Academy of Music, London

I then went and studied piano and Russian ballerinas’ long legs at Royal Academy of Music, London and Kings College, London. This included travelling back and fore on the’Sardine-Express’ to Baker Street with mannequin-like creatures pretending to read.

Lost in the Woods

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