John Paul Muir

Annual Report for the Lewis Eady Charitable Trust 

In September of 2010, I moved to London and commenced my studies with Senior Professor Joan Havill at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, on the two-year Guildhall Artist Masters programme. 

Studying in this environment is proving to be very stimulating. Joan and I are getting on very well and we are making great progress together. The experience and knowledge she brings, having trained a number of world-class concert pianists, is very special. To date, I have had the privilege of playing in three public masterclasses, with Dominique Merlet, Leslie Howard, and Alon Goldstein. I was highly commended for my performance of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata Op. 109 in the Beethoven Piano Prize, and have received high distinctions for all my assessments. Here at Guildhall, we are given the opportunity to have a weekly Alexander Technique session, and I am finding this very helpful in developing more control at the piano, and a fresh insight into the way I approach piano technique. I have also taken up opportunities to accompany singers in the first term, and am currently collaborating with fellow New Zealander, Helen Bevan (viola) who has also been studying at the Guildhall. I am also doing a very interesting improvisation paper with David Dolan, where we have been improvising in a number of different contexts from baroque, to modern styles. It has been great to expand upon my improvisation skills, which have previously been largely confined to the jazz idiom. 

Living at Goodenough College is a really great experience, where I am one of around 600 post-graduate students from over 90 different countries. There is a plethora of clubs and activities to take part in, and I have taken part in a number of concerts with other Goodenough musicians, as well as taking a leadership role with the Jazz Choir. Recently I have been involved with improvising music to go with a new play that has just been premiered at Goodenough College by Anatrope Theatre. One of the fantastic perks of living at the College is also the ability to hold our own events very easily, so of course I have taken the opportunity to give recitals on a number of occasions. 

I have also been making the most of some of the wonderful concerts on offer here in London. Solo recitals by Mitsuko Uchida, Stephen Hough, and Murray Perahia have been some of the highlights so far that have proved especially inspiring. I have also been to some truly stunning concerts by Keith Jarrett, Brad Mehldau, Robert Glasper, and Esperanza Spalding. 

In the first week of June I was invited by Creative New Zealand to take part in Michael Parekowhai’s exhibit at the Venice Biennale. I was there for the Vernissage week, as the exhibition opened, the press and art critics came through, and the patrons functions took place. It was one of the most memorable experiences of my life, playing the stunningly carved Steinway He Korero Purakau mo Te Awanui o Te Motu: story of a New Zealand river in a palazzo with views of the Grand Canal from the keyboard. It was very special and incredibly inspiring to play music from (or inspired by) Venice there: Scarlatti, Chopin’s Barcarolle, Liszt’s Les Jeux d’eaux á la Villa d’Este to name a few! Here is a link to a blog post I did on the NZ at Venice website: http://blog.nzatvenice.com/2011/06/pianist-john-paul-muir.html. I really enjoyed the opportunity to see some thought-provoking contemporary art at the Biennale, and I also particularly enjoyed seeing the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. 

In August I spent a week at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, taking part in a concert series curated by the Royal Over-Seas League. I collaborated with fellow Kiwi, Helen Bevan (viola) and participated in five concerts over the week, including putting on a solo jazz show. It was great to return to play in Edinburgh as it was the second time I had performed in this series, having first played there in 2008 with Trio Scintillatum, as John-Paul Muir new ROSL Scholars. This time I managed to attend around eight other dance, theatre, comedy, and music shows, which made for a very full and exciting week. 

Earlier this summer, I participated in the Oxford Philomusica International Piano Festival & Summer Academy (http://oxfordphil.com/piano/). I stayed in Oxford for several days, enjoying a number of masterclasses, lectures and concerts. I played for Shai Wosner, Leslie Howard, and observed a number of excellent classes and concerts by the particularly distinguished faculty, which included pianists such as Menahem Pressler, Christopher Elton, Dame Fanny Waterman, Stephen Hough, Marios Papadopoulos, and Stephen Kovacevich plus others. It was a great environment, I learnt a lot, and enjoyed meeting and hearing some other young up-and-coming pianists from around the world. 

The coming year will be vitally important for me, as I build momentum and continue to grow technically and artistically under the tutelage of Joan Havill. Having settled into this new environment, I plan to participate in a number of competitions, and audition for several of the concert societies in London that promote emerging artists. 

Receiving support from the Lewis Eady Charitable Trust is a real honour, and has helped enable me to undertake the first part of this Masters degree at Guildhall, which I am extremely grateful for. I know that I am making excellent progress, and am developing quickly in this fast-paced environment. I have some exciting plans for the coming year and look forward to the opportunities that London has to offer me. 

July 2011