Welcome to Trinity's piano podcast series
In this series, each week we sit down with a composer or arranger who has contributed to making Trinity's 2023 Piano syllabus, our broadest and most diverse repertoire offer ever. We explore their contribution to the syllabus, their musical journey and influences and what words of inspiration they might have for our teachers and learners.
Find some of the composers' work in our free sample booklet
Sam Leak
Jazz pianist Sam Leak talks about his musical journey and the teachers and fellow musicians who have inspired him.
Mari Sainio
Finnish composer Mari Sainio talk about how an early love for improvisation and making her own arrangements led her to a career as a composer.
Julian Joseph
Jazz pianist, composer, broadcaster, educator and author Julian Joseph talks about the process of composition and his deep commitment to music education.
Amit Anand
India-born, Scotland-based composer Amit Anand discusses the importance of encouraging learners to embrace different cultural influences, genres and sound worlds as they develop. Amit, who own influence range from Hindustani and Carnatic music to Western Classical and pop, has arranged songs by Katie Melua (Grade 1), Adele (Grade 3) and Alicia Keys (Grade 7) for Trinity’s 2023 Piano syllabus. Hear him share his thoughts on the challenges they each presented.
Ravina
Music educator and musician Ravina from Mumbai talks about her joy of bringing music from India into the 2023 Piano syllabus. Hear about her process of selecting songs and the challenges of arranging and notating pieces that spring primarily from an oral tradition. Ravina also talks about her excitement of arranging the “Pokémon Theme” (Initial), “Lag Jaa Gale” (Grade 4) and “Ajeeb Dastan Hai Yeh” (Grade 5).
Mark Choi
Video games, visual media and theatre composer Mark Choi talks about how a love for music and video games combined with an education in computer engineering led him to a successful career as a composer. He shares interesting insights into the process of composing for video games and the unique challenges this genre poses.
Andrea Vicari
Jazz pianist, composer and educator Andrea Vicari shares stories from her varied career and discusses ways of igniting students’ interest in playing jazz and a broader range of musical styles. Andrea has played an integral part in shaping the jazz offering in Trinity’s 2023 Piano syllabus. Hear her work in selecting, crafting, composing and arranging the pieces.
Michael Price
Emmy Award-winning film and television composer, Michael Price gives an illuminating insight into his experiences of composing for the screen, and shares his thoughts for aspiring musicians. Michael has written the film-inspired Grade 4 piece “They’re Getting Away” especially for the Trinity 2023 Piano syllabus.