Bach, Bernstein, Gershwin, Previn
Born in 1983 in Krakow, Poland, Alicja Smietana performs works from Bach to Contemporary music with – what was described as – “Extraordinary brilliance and sensibility
As a soloist she has performed with many world-renowned orchestras and ensembles and she made her international debut in London under the direction of Sir Neville Marriner with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. She has performed in the world’s most important venues including Berlin Philharmonic and Royal Albert Hall.
In 2010 she was asked by Nigel Kennedy to become a co-artistic director of his new Orchestra of Life with which she has also performed in the most renowned halls including Berlin Philharmonic, Cologne Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, Palais des Congres and the Royal Festival Hall.
Alicja has also keen on improvisation and is performing a lot of experimental music, jazz and contemporary music. She has also played in some of important venues like the 100 Club, the Vortex, Ronnie Scotts and many others.
James Pearson is a pianist, composer and creative tour de force. He is the Artistic Director at Ronnie Scotts Jazz Club where his trio are the house band. There last album ‘Swing the Club’ recorded live at the venue received excellent reviews across the board.
James is equally at home as a concert pianist. He has played concertos with the Philharmonia and the BBC Concert Orchestra amongst many others. His performance of Rachmaninoff’s 2nd piano Concerto was broadcast on Classic FM and Gershwin’s Piano Concerto and Rhapsody in Blue on BBC Radio 2. With collaborations ranging from Paul McCartney to Wynton Marsalis James is fast becoming one of the country’s most sought after pianists.
Amongst the many people James has worked with are, Dame Cleo Laine, Maria Ewing, Marian Montgomery, Petula Clark, The John Wilson Orchestra, Elvin Jones, Wynton Marsalis, Joss Stone, Dave Stewart, Buddy Greco, Johnny Griffin, Joseph Horowitz, Richard Rodney Bennett, Ray Davies, Polly Gibbons, Nigel Kennedy, Robbie Williams, Rufus Wainwright, Gregory Porter, Imelda May, Jeff Beck and Paul McCartney.