As the son of a Yorkshire carpenter, I was raised knowing the importance of hard work, dedication, and determination. After graduating from the Royal Northern College of Music in 2011, I managed to get my first self-produced album, 'From Bach to Bond', broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM, and toured with the CD around the UK, performing at venues such as the Queen’s Theatre West End, Bridgewater Hall, Steinway Hall, and Castle Howard. 

I teach the piano across numerous schools in the North West and Yorkshire, and also lecture music business and marketing at Leeds College of Music, so my time management throughout 'From Bach to Bond' had to be absolutely flawless. I was exhausted, but it was totally worth it, with my parents and well-wishers spurring me on. At 24, it was not a bad way to start my professional career.

My attention then looked forward to my next project. I combined everything I had learned throughout 'From Bach to Bond' and created 'Sonic Waves', an album of water themed music from Liszt, Chopin, Handel, Saint-Saëns, Debussy, and Schubert. I also decided to include my own arrangements of 3 British sea shanties: 'What shall we do with the drunken sailor', 'Blow the man down', and 'Sailor’s Hornpipe'. 

Following a broadcast on primetime Classic FM’s Drive show with Aled Jones, and features in various magazines, 'Sonic Waves' went straight into the Official Classical Artist Albums Chart at number 3, under André Rieu and Ludovico Einaudi. I was absolutely gobsmacked, and spent a long time wondering if some sort of mistake had been made. The album was released on June 1 (on my own label), and today is still at number 5 (and number 1 in the Specialist Classical Chart), so I am excited by the possibilities that lie ahead.

That said, it has been anything but an easy time. Unfortunately, record labels were not convinced by my idea, but I did not see that as a deterrent: I think that classical artists are like horses in the Grand National, you just have no idea who is going to make it, so I am not bitter or angry at all about that. I ended up creating a Kickstarter campaign to raise £2000 to record the album, which hit the target in under 5 days, and finished at 165% funded. The advance CD sales from crowd funding alone put 'Sonic Waves' in the top 10 of the charts.

I am excited by how the internet and 21st-century techniques can get my music to new audiences. I hope to see you along my journey!