Andrew Thayer
Bmus, PGDip, MA
"You play beautifully, with great elegance and with an exceptionally luxurious concept of sound and rhythm. Bravo!"
John Bell Young, critic- American Record Guide; Clavier; St Petersburg Times (quoted with permission).
I am a Birmingham-based pianist and teacher. I studied music academically at Royal Holloway College (University of London) where I was awarded a BMus (2:1). I also studied performance as a postgraduate in Birmingham Conservatoire where I received a PGDip and an MA. I have played recitals in various venues in cities including London, Birmingham and Cardiff and I also gave performances of Rachmaninoff's 2nd concerto with the Royal Holloway Symphony Orchestra under Peter Lipari.
In 2004 I won the Sylvia Cleaver Chamber Music Prize as a member of the 'Trio Gustav' and in 2005 I was awarded the Renna Kellaway Piano Prize, as well as the John Ireland Prize and I was a finalist in the Symphony Hall Competition. Films of my playing (including a Chopin Etude and Godowsky's free arrangement of 'The Swan') are on my webpage.
I currently teach students (from beginners to diploma level) in Bromsgrove School and Adams Grammar School and I also take private students.
I'm particularly interested in historic recordings of the great pianists like Horowitz, Cortot and Rachmaninoff. I like to attempt to analyse the musical thinking that led to such interesting, emotional sounds rather than the dull competition-playing of today.
I consider it very important, even at early levels, to make students to think about sound rather than just pressing keys in the right order.If a student learns notes without thinking about sound it is useless. Every single movement would soon have to be 'unlearned' and relearned from scratch, to get it sounding good. I try to show students how to combine musical and technical work jointly, to ensure that an interesting sound is always the goal.
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(5 votes)
