This autumn saw the completion of a project that I began way back in 2020. It started as another Covid lockdown project: I wrote some piano duets for some students I know. I think even at the best of times it can be heartening to practice when you know you’ll be making music with others.
A new opera for all ages, based on the spectacular novels of Hong Ying 1st – 3rd November, 2024 Bloomsbury Theatre, London Join us for the premiere of The Stone God at the Bloomsbury Theatre in London this November. With thrillingly accessible music by Nicholas Michael Smith, The Stone God captures the rhythms and flavours
My orchestral illustration The Girl From The French Fort came into being almost by accident. Hong Ying had asked me to translate her wonderful story into English, as the book was published in a bilingual format, with sumptuous illustrations by the extraordinarily talented Cherry Denman. (There’s a funny story about that too: Cherry doesn’t read
One of my more rewarding education projects in Beijing has been working with the No. 80 Middle School, helping to coach its wind band. And one of the high points was when the band won division champion at the Singapore International Band Festival back in 2018. I was thrilled with this outcome: thrilled for the
This coming year, I’m thrilled to announce the premiere of my new opera, The Stone God, at London’s Bloomsbury Theater, a work based on the magical children’s stories of my friend and celebrated author Hong Ying. I will be working with the wonderful Arcadian Opera and its music director Justin Lavender, as well as the
It’s an honour to be invited again as a jury member to the 2024 13th Macau Piano Competition, which will take place 14-16 January 2024 at the Dom Pedro V Theatre in Macau. I’m looking forward to three days of intense listening, music making and workshops. It’s always exciting to hear the new talent in China’s piano
It was a complete surprise to be invited to conduct the opening moments of the Honor of Kings (王者荣耀, Wángzhě Róngyào) gaming event in Chengdu on November 26, but a very nice one! Honor of Kings is one of the of the most popular online games in the world, with over 100 million daily players,
