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Keynsham Concerts ( Leonora, Paul, Simon H. and Chris ) would like to say a big thank you to everyone from Bristol Piano Club who came along to support the piano recital given by the international, award winning pianist Leon McCawley on Saturday 7th June. Leon played a Yamaha concert grand in the beautiful parish church of St John in Keynsham where the acoustics were first class. The programme included pieces by Scarlatti, Beethoven, Chopin and Frank and was of outstanding pianistic quality – ending with an encore by Rachmaninov to a standing ovation. We hope that Leon will return to play for us again in the future.

There are last minute places available at the Stowe Summer School for Pianists – just 10 weeks away. Join some of your Bristol Piano Club members there along with 60 others from all round the world. There are great tutors, you take part in three masterclasses with the options to perform in student concerts as well. Superb accommodation in the grounds of the old palace of the Duke of Buckingham. You will meet some very inspiring people and experience some amazing piano playing. Plus an opportunity to play on some Steinway grands.

http://www.pianosummerschool.co.uk

On a sunny afternoon fifteen of us gathered at Brian and Dorette’s Henleaze house for an afternoon of music on their two uprights (Broadwood and Bechstein). We do not have many opportunities for two piano playing in the Club and we are very grateful to Jean and Brian for providing suitable music, including one piece for eight hands! Following the formal playing we retired to the well-tended garden for food and drink whilst informal music-making continued in the background. We welcomed a new member – Boyang Yu, and Boyang bravely played for us on his first visit.

Once again, many thanks to Brian and Dorette for their fabulous hosting of a very enjoyable event.

Bristol Piano Club May 2025
Performer	Composer	Piece
Brian	Chopin	Nocturne in C# minor, op. 27 no. 1
Chris	Bach	Allemande from French Suite no. 4
Steve W	Satie	Gnossienne no. 5
Simon S	Berg	Sonata op. 1
Jean A	Scriabin	Poeme in F# op. 32 no. 1
Nancy	Schumann	Humoreske (extract) op. 20
Peter	Mozart	Sonata in Eb, K282, Adagio
Richard	Beethoven	Sonata in C (Waldstein), op. 53, 1st mvt
Boyang	Beethoven	Sonata in C# minor (Moonlight), op. 27, 1st mvt
Kay	Bach	Minuet I and II, Partita in Bb
Brian	Chopin	Nocturne in Db major, op. 27 no. 2
Nancy & Jean	Vaughan Williams	Fantasy on Greensleeves (2 pianos)
Brian, Nancy, Peter & Simon	Moszkowski	Spanish Dance no. 1 (2 pianos, 8 hands)
	William Gillock	Champagne Toccata (2 pianos)
Nancy & Brian	Rachmaninoff	Suite no. 2, Waltz (2 pianos)

Helen Reid, the pianist who has led a masterclass for Bristol Piano Club (and has a forthcoming masterclass with us in July), will be playing at a concert at Henleaze URC with mezzosoprano Rebecca Chellappah, in aid of Trailwalker UK 2025 supporting the Gurkha Welfare Trust and community projects in Nepal.

The programme will include music by Chopin, Debussy, setting of Tagore poems, and contemporary song.

The concert is at 7:30 on Saturday 28 June. Tickets are available from Ticketsource or on the door

We are very happy to host a rota of players, so welcome anyone interested.

Please contact nicola@theupton.co.uk

07974 789983

Nicola Padden

Minister Without Portfolio

The Upton

www.theupton.co.uk

This weekend we held a special event and a meeting.

– The special event was held at Southmead Hospital on Saturday 12th April where members, family and friends joined together to play and listen to the Bluthner Grand Piano in the atrium . We were joined by a Cello player too. The music sounded beautiful and was very well received by people passing by and those who stopped to listen, who included patients staff and visitors.

-The meeting held at Chris and Karen’s house in Saltford on Sunday 13th was also very successful with an interesting selection of classical and modern music, a wonderful array of food and very welcoming hosts. Many thanks to Chris and Karen for a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon.

Please see play list below.

Ret – Beethoven: Allegretto vivace from sonata in G, op. 31

Simon H – Victor Heymen: When I Fall in Love

Steve B – Gershwin: That Certain Felling & Who Cares

Simon S – Fauré: Nocturne No. 11

Peter H – Bach: Prelude in Eb minor, Bk 1

Chris UW (Euphonium) and Leo (piano) – Lovett Cooper: Donegal Bay

Jean W – Schubert: Minuet in C# minor D600 & Gershwin: Summertime

Ret – Schubert Impromptu in F minor, op. 142

Chris UW – Henry Mancini: Moon River

Simon S – Billie Holiday: Don’t Explain and Johnny Green: I Cover the Waterfront

Leon McCawley International Concert Pianist

Sat 7  Jun  2025 7:30 PM – 10:30 PM

St John’s Church Keynsham, BS31 2BL

Praised for his unfailingly communicative playing, British pianist Leon McCawley has been delighting audiences worldwide since winning, in 1993, First Prize in the International Beethoven Piano Competition in Vienna and Second Prize at the Leeds International Piano Competition. (Gramophone, February 2024).

To buy tickets – click on the link below.

https://buytickets.at/keynshamconcerts1/1637168

Thank you for supporting Keynsham Concerts.

• Fom Bristol Piano Club member Matthew O’Connor. 
• • Hi All
  • Our new album Everything Lasts Forever is out now on Old Bad Habits Label. It’s available on all streaming services and also on Vinyl or CD from our Bandcamp page.
  • We are really proud of it and hope you enjoy it too .https://phonseca.bandcamp.com/
  • Our launch gig is this Friday at the Hen and Chicken, Bedminster and we are urging people to buy advance tickets if possible.https://hdfst.uk/e123266
  • So come along and join the party, it will be amazing to see you.We’ll have copies of the new album and also everything we’ve released so far at the gig!Enjoy the sun and hopefully see you there!
  • Matt (Phonseca)