News and Meetings

Bristol Piano Club Meeting 16/03/2025

We all enjoyed the meeting at Henleaze Church – an excellent venue with lovely grand piano, plenty of seating and good dining facilites.

It was good to see some members that haven’t been to a meeting for a while too.

An interesting selection of music was played as follows:

Jean – Sonata Op 26 1st Movt – Beethoven

Len – Calmato – Chihro Todoroki

Anne K – Nocturne No 10 E minor – John Field / Prelude No 6 Lennox Berkeley

Charles – Sonata in D ( Andante) Op 28 – Beethoven

Ruth – Sonata in F K533 – Mozart

Kathryn – Our Evenings – From an Overgrown Path – Janacek / Sarabande from Partita 1 – Bach / Menuet from Sonata B minor – Haydon.

Simon H – Capricho Catalan – Albinez

Kay – The Little Shepherd – Debussy

Jane – Prelude in C m Chopin – into could it be magic

New Piano Club Masterclass with Helen Reid for 2025

Join other Bristol Piano Club members for an informal masterclass to be led by Helen Reid, one of Bristol’s leading teachers.


When: Thursday 10 July 2025, 10:00–16:00
Location: Stoke Bishop, Bristol (venue details provided on booking)
Fees – Members: £45 (playing), £10 (observers);
Fees – Non-members – £55 (playing), £15 (observers). The non-member fee includes a complimentary BPC membership for the rest of the year.
Lunch: participants should bring a packed lunch


Up to eight places are available for pianists who will perform a piece of prepared repertoire. The teaching sessions will be approximately 30 minutes long per pianist, and will focus on interpretation, performance, and technique, but all participants are welcome to offer other topics for discussion during the day.


In addition to the participants, there will be places available for a small observers at £10 for the day.


Helen Reid (see https://helenreidpiano.com) is a former BBC Young Musician of the Year keyboard finalist, and currently pursues a busy career teaching and performing around the UK. As well as performing as a soloist, she is in demand as an accompanist, and regularly performs with the Bristol Ensemble and other chamber groups. Helen works with advanced piano students, both privately and at the University of Bristol.


Helen has given recitals all around in England, at venues including the Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room, Fairfield Halls and Blackheath Halls, London, St. George’s, Bristol, Cheltenham, the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester and the Aldeburgh and Buxton Festivals. She has performed in Spain, Slovakia, Hungary, Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. Performances have included Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.2, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and the world premiere of David Matthews’ Piano Concerto at Dartington International Summer Festival, a work written for Helen.


To reserve a place or for further details, do not reply to this email but contact Club member Mark Ware at mark@markwareconsulting.com or on 07973 824378.

(NB, the fee shown above has been calculated assuming the full number of 8 attendees; it may be slightly higher if demand is lower, and will be finalised as soon as numbers are known)

Dear Members,

Please click the link below to hear Bristol Piano Club member Matthew O’Connor talking on  Bristol 24 7  about his 5 Bristol favourites ahead of the release of the new Phonseca album. 

It  mentions St George’s,  the video Matthew  had filmed there and the solo piano track Matthew recorded that closes the new album. 

https://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/people/my-bristol-favourites-matthew-oconnor/?utm_source=Bristol24%2F7&utm_campaign=02d8711587-b247newsletter_020225&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_67a9a4e1bd-02d8711587-38992534&mc_cid=02d8711587&mc_eid=e3dc51a2bc

Thank you.

Bristol Music Festival

Dear Members,

After 15 years of running the running the piano section of the Bristol Festival, Hannah and Clare  and are stepping down and new volunteers are needed.

There are a variety of roles that need to be covered, including:

Organising lunches for the adjudicators and helpers.

Looking after the red folders, which is done after the programming. – This involves getting the mark sheets and certificates and organising them into files for each class. 

Setting up on Friday and clearing away on Sunday.

The role of Piano Secretary – to oversee everything and to be on hand over the weekend to welcome everyone and resolve any issues.

Please let Leonora know if you are able to help – and I will pass the messages onto Hannah and Clare.

Thank you,

Leonora 

Bristol Piano Club meeting February 2025

The Club met at Kay’s in Clifton on Sunday 16 February. The pianos, venue, food and the company were all wonderful and we heard an interesting selection of music in varied genres.

Mark – Rachmaninoff: Etudes-Tableaux Op.33, No.5 in G minor
Anne – John Field: Nocturnes No.10 and No.13
Richard – Chopin: Nocturne No.20 in C♯ minor, Op. posth.
Kay – Debussy: The Little Shepherd
Graham & Jan – Edward Gregson: Interlude No.2 (duet for four hands)
Jan – Félix Le Couppey: Spanish Air No.29, from L’ABC du piano
Graham & Jean – Mozart: Sonata for Two Pianos in D major K448, Andante (2nd movement)
Chris – Scarlatti: Sonata K159
Simon H – Mussorgsky: Une larme (A Teardrop)
– John Barry: I Had a Farm in Africa (from the film Out of Africa)
Juliana – Manning Sherwin, arr. Nikki Iles: A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square
– Joe Hisaishi: Il porco rosso
Chris – Handel: Fantasia
Juliana – Mélanie Bonis: Il pleut

Dear Members

We have an exciting new event happening on Saturday April 12th. 2025.

Members are invited to come along to Southmead Hospital and play the grand piano in the atrium. We will start at 11.00 and play until 16.00 hrs. Members are welcome to come for the whole event or just pop in and play. Parking is available in the multi-storey are park next to the atrium building and there are also other car parks on site. I am told they are quieter on weekends. There are also cafes and toilets nearby in the atrium so all convenient.

Please support this new venture and share our love of the piano with others in the community.  Friends / partners/ families welcome too. 

This event is being organised by Matthew G. and Leonora.  

Please let Leonora know if you would like to come along and play. 

Thank you.