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Find out more about John's music and "Twisted Harmonies" here.
22 May 2013
Duo Bohêmes (Aurelie Samani and Gabriela Ungureanu) concert at the Festival jeunes talents in Paris - the programme of their new CD - Harmonies d'un soir: Schubert, Dvoràk, Ravel and "Raag Gezellig".
12 May 2013
Duo Bohêmes again, splendid performance live from the semifinals of the Dranoff 2 Piano Competition in Miami, USA.
5 April 2013
Duo Bohêmes (Aurelie Samani and Gabriela Ungureanu) concert the Salle Cortot, Paris - Schubert, Brahms, Ravel and "Raag Gezellig".
Easter Saturday 30 March 2013
 Duo Bohêmes (Aurelie Samani and Gabriela Ungureanu) Easter concert at Les Rencontres d’Orion in South France - Schubert, Dvoràk and "Raag Gezellig".
Friday 22 February 2013, 7.30pm
Concert - piano piano 2 - contemporary music for piano solo and duet
Bristol Music Club, 76 St. Paul’s Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1LP
Tickets £10 (£7 concessions)
by phone: Providence Music 0117 927 6536
or on the door.
Pianists: Steven Kings, Jolyon Laycock, John Pitts, Andre Shlimon & Geoffrey Poole.
Programme:
Jolyon Laycock – A selection from River Preludes book 2 (solo) River Chew, River Yeo, River Tone, Newton Brook, River Parret, Wellow Brook
Steven Kings - The House of the Singing Frog (duet), Borrowed Latin (2 pianos)
Ash Madni – Jazz Variations (solo)
John Pitts - Passacaglia (duet)
Julian Leeks – There’s Always a Bigger Fish (solo)
Andre Shlimon - Haiku Variations (solo)
David Simmonds – Kumoijoshi (solo)
Jean Hasse – works (solo)
Friday 22 February 2013
Duo Bohêmes (Aurelie Samani and Gabriela Ungureanu) concert at the Espace Balavoine - Bizano - Schubert, Schumann and "Raag Gezellig".
January 2013
Duo Bohêmes' beautiful new CD - "Harmonies d'un Soir" - now available from Amazon.fr.
 26 November 2012
Duo Bohêmes (Aurelie Samani and Gabriela Ungureanu) concert at the Piémont oloronais - 1001 NUITS POUR QUATRE MAINS: Schumann: Reflets d'orient, Karol Beffa: Mirages, John Pitts: Raag gezellig, Debussy: 6 épigraphes antiques
16 November 2012
"Changes" performed by Steve Kings and John at the Bristol Music Club
And here it is:
Contemporary Music for solo / duet / triet
SCA concert @ Bristol Music Club, 76 St Paul's Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1LP
 Jolyon Laycock River Preludes - soloJohn Pitts Changes for 20 nifty fingers - duetJulian Dale After Machaut 2 - duetGeoff Poole Mountain Book - soloFrank Harvey Transformations of Themes by Liza Lehmann - soloGyorgy Kurtag transcriptions of Machaut, Frescobaldi, Purcell & Bach - duet & triet Tickets £10 (£7 concessions)
Telephone 0117 927 6536 (Providence Music) or on the door.
26 October 2012
in Oloron-Sainte-Marie, France - to include "Raag Gezellig".
12 September 2012
The Kiev Duo to premiere "Gaelic Faram Jig" in Kiev - written for them for the 6th Kiev International Chamber Music Session Festival www.session.org.ua - a 15-minute piece for 2 pianos and 2 percussionists. The Festival lasts from 4 to 12 September 2012, with the theme of quartets of various kinds. The opening concert of the festival is Nigel Kennedy's band playing "Bach meets Fats Waller".
The "Gaelic Faram Jig" is in the final concert of the Festival, in the National Philharmony Hall of Ukraine.
22 August 2012
Duo Bohêmes (Aurelie Samani and Gabriela Ungureanu) concert at the Festival 1000 sources et Dordogne, France - "1001 nuits pour quatre mains" to include "Raag Gezellig".
4:30pm, Saturday 23 June 2012
"Changes" performed in a concert at University College, London. www.ocmc.org.uk/Programme/2011-12/2068.htm
Saturday 12 May 2012
Duo Bohêmes (Aurelie Samani and Gabriela Ungureanu) won the piano duet section of the Concours Musicale de France, playing "Raag Gezellig" in their recital in Paris. They have also included "Raag Gezellig" in their new CD - "Harmonies d'un Soir".
8pm, Friday 11 May 2012
Performance of a pair of songs "Dreams Do Show Me Thee", settings of Shakespeare, at the Arnolfini.
8pm, Wednesday 4 April 2012
First British performance of "Are You Going?" for piano triet at the UK's first concert of contemporary music exclusively for piano triet, at the Colston Hall 2.
5:30pm, Saturday 31 March 2012
"Changes" to be performed by piano duet Margaret Miller and Graham Bowler in an Oxford & Cambridge Musical Club concert of 20th Century chamber music in the Housman Room, University College, Gower Street, London WC1 www.ocmc.org.uk/Programme/2011-12/2063.htm
Friday 23 March 2012
"Raag Gezellig" performed by Gabriela Ungureanu and Aurelie Samani in Paris - www.aureliesamani.com/agenda/concerts/r-3.html
Thursday 8 March 2012
First performance of "Cerebrations" for string quartet, played by the Bristol Ensemble Quartet at the Arnolfini. See here.
Thursday 8 March 2012
"Raag Gezellig" performed by Ebe Müntel and Jorma Toots in Estonia - see concert details here
March 2012
"Raag Gezellig" performed by Lilit Mkrtchyan and Nune Asatryan in A.Khachatryan Museum, Yerevan, Armenia. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9-mbuymUkc
January 2012
Performances of "Raag Gezellig"
in Perpignan, France, by Emilie Carcy & Matthieu Millischer in "théâtre de l'archipel". www.ch.fnacspectacles.com/place-spectacle/manifestation/Musique-classique-PIANO-A-4-MAINS-PEMAI.htm - www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HAFaTjgd0Ein Estonia, by Ebe Muntel and Jorma Tootsin Kiev, Ukraine by Lilita Smolentseva & Dmytro Drozdov youtu.be/ZBXlkzvrwaY1-2 December 2011
John's new piano duet "Raag Gezellig" used as the competition piece in the international section of the 6ème CONCOURS INTERNATIONAL DE PIANO A 4 MAINS DE VALBERG www.piano4mains06.fr.
Congratulations to Jaekyung Yoo & Yoon-Jee Kim who won the competition, and to Ebe Muntel & Jorma Toots for winning the Interpretation Prize for playing "Raag Gezellig".
  Saturday night concert performance of "Changes" by the amazing Kiev Piano Duo.
November 2011
John's arrangement of Gilbert & Sullivan's Gondoliers used by Bathgate Theatre Company, Scotland.
John's "Raag Gezellig" performed by
the fabulous Russian piano duo - Ada Gorbunova and Vitaly Gavruk - in the Aks-Art Concert Hall, Moscow, Russia. See concert details here. the fabulous Estonian piano duo - Ebe Müntel and Jorma Toots - in the Heino Elleri Muusikakooli Elleri Saal, Estonia. See concert details here.October 2011
John's arrangement of Gilbert & Sullivan's Iolanthe to be used by Sidmouth Arts Club Operatic Society, Devon.
15-18 September 2011
Congratulations to the Kiev Piano Duo on winning the second prize at the Grieg International Piano Duo Competition, finishing their programme in the first and third rounds with "Changes".
September 2011
John's arrangement of Gilbert & Sullivan's Gondoliers was used by G&S Society of Tasmania, Australia.
5 August 2011
"Changes" performed by Duo Michaela Neuhart Unger & Stan Ford in Salzburg, Internationale Sommerakademie Mozarteum
August 2011
The Kiev Piano Duo gave performances of "Changes" in Denmark - in a concert marking the 20th Anniversary of Ukraine's Independence in Copenhagen, in the presence of the Ambassador of Ukraine to Denmark, and also at the Schubertiade festival in Roskilde.
August 2011
John's arrangement of Gilbert & Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance was used by Allegan Community Players, Miami, USA
Saturday 9 July 2011
John will be conducting the Bristol Millennium Orchestra for Iron Acton's Prom in the Meadow.
March 2011
John's arrangement of Gilbert & Sullivan's Gondoliers used by Kirkcaldy G & S Society.
Saturday 12 March 2011
John will be conducting half of a concert at St Monica's, Bristol - Bristol Millennium Orchestra.
February 2011
John's arrangement of Gilbert & Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance used by Cornell College, Iowa.
See various clips on Youtube - starting here
December 2010
John's arrangement of Gilbert & Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance used by Kings Bruton School.
7.30pm, Friday 5 November 2010
Severnside Composers Alliance/Clevedon Arts Festival 2010
Landscape Studies and other music from the southwest
Clevedon Court, Clevedon, North Somerset.
Now celebrating its seventh year, the Severnside Composers Alliance was formed to perform and promote the music of living composers from the Bristol and Bath, and stimulate a wider interest in new music in the region.
This evening concert, in the beautiful setting of the National Trust's Clevedon Court, will feature Dr Jolyon Laycock's pyrotechnical Landscape Studies for solo piano plus a selection of songs and music by Sulyen Caradon, John Pitts and Andre Shlimon.
Seating is limited, so early booking is advised.
Tickets £9 (£6 concessions) - 01275 872723 or IanCorbett123@btinternet.com
8pm, Wednesday 20 October 2010
Elektrostatic
The Graphic Score
@ Colston Hall 2
Tickets £10/7 from here.
Pages 122-140 of Cornelius Cardew's Treatise - one of the earliest, largest and most complex graphic scores – is performed with a distinct Bristol flavour: Bristol Ensemble are joined by folk / electronica performer Stanton Delaplane, virtuosic singer-songwriter Hazel Mills, Jazz bassist Jeff Spencer, Experimental Electro-jazz duo Eyebrow and composer/performers Elizabeth Purnell, Jolyon Laycock and John Pitts, all interpreting a different section from the score. This will feature an animated version of the graphic score by Welsh National Opera’s David Massey.
The concert will also include live interpretations of Matthew Harris' Scorched - the graphic score artwork on the Colston Hall Foyer wall.
Plus: Philip Glass: String Quartet No 5 and Hazel Mills performing a set of songs from her new album arranged by Richard Barnard for voice, string quartet, keyboard and live electronics.
October 2010
John's arrangement of Gilbert & Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance used by Billericay Operatic Society at Brentwood Theatre. Read a review here "...John Pitts's clever reduction was impressively served by Derrick Thompson's musicians in the wings."
7.30pm, Saturday 2 October 2010
John will be conducting the Bristol Millennium Orchestra for the second half of the Filton Proms at the Filton Community Centre.
Tickets £7.50 available from admin@bristolmillenniumorchestra.co.uk
Saturday 11 September 2010
World concert premiere of "Are You Going? for 30 nifty fingers" (piano triet) in the Kiev Philharmonic Hall as part of the Kiev International Chamber Music Festival (poster, info), Ukraine by the fabulous Kiev Duo and Antoniy Baryshevkiy, recent winner of the Jaen International Piano competition. The programme will also include "Changes for 20 nifty fingers". See last year's performance of "Changes" at the Kiev Music Fest here.
Many thanks go to the British Council / Sound & Music who awarded a Travel Grant for John to fly out to Kiev for the concert.
  June 2010
Changes performed in Warsaw by the Kiev Duo
March 2010
Fantasia 4 "Wind Chimes" performed by Daniella Acker at the Bristol Music Club.
John's arrangement of Gilbert & Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance used by Bradford University Operettas and Musicals Society
February 2010
Three violin duets written many years ago now on Youtube - recorded by Yakubova Dilora and Dang Thanh Trung.
John's arrangement of Gilbert & Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance used by Warminster School.
 November 2009
John's arrangement of Gilbert & Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance to be used by Opera Santa Barbara, USA, and Bathgate Theatre Company, Inverkirk.
Friday 2 October 2009
Changes received its Ukrainian premiere by the fantastic Kiev Piano Duo (Oleksandra Zaytseva & Dmytro Tavanets) in the Kiev Music Festival at the National Music Academy of Ukraine (Tchaikovsky Small Hall) - attracting a standing ovation and an encore.
July 2009
John's arrangement of Gilbert & Sullivan's Gondoliers used by the Sunningdale Savoy Chorus, Ascot.
May 2009
Fantasia 2 from new CD (cd.tp/ipm08) featured on BBC Radio 3's Late Junction.
March 2009
John's arrangement of Gilbert & Sullivan's Iolanthe used by University of Southampton Light Operatic Society.
January 2009
 * * * * * Musical Opinion, * * * * The Independent, * * * * Venue,
9/10 Cross Rhythms
(see all reviews here)
CD - cd.tp/ipm08 - intensely pleasant music:
7 Airs & Fantasias and other piano music by John Pitts,
performed by Steven Kings.
CDs are now available to buy from cd.tp/ipm08, and downloads are available from
cdbaby - whole album
and shortly from iTunes, Rhapsody, eMusic, Amazon, Napster, Verizon V-CAST, Liquid Digital Media, PayPlay, AudioLunchbox, GroupieTunes, Ruckus etc etc.
The extra track (ipm08a) "Are You Going? for thirty nifty fingers" performed by JP, SK and Daniella Acker.
Saturday 1 November 2008, 8pm
Steven Kings - Piano Recital- John's complete set of seven Airs & Fantasias.
"intensely pleasant music"
Bristol Music Club, 76 St Paul's Road, Clifton
Tickets £6
Doors open for refreshments at 7:30pm.
Programme
Gentle Interweaving
Clockwork 5 4
After Satie
On the Westminster Chimes
On an anagram
Parallel Octaves
Sarabande
Wind chimes
Calmly Contented
Bells in 9 8
Modal Twist
Half-Second-Hand
Cantabile Mist
All in a chord
October 2008
John's arrangement of Gilbert & Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance used by Granger Senior High School, Utah, USA.
September 2008
John's arrangement of Gilbert & Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance used by the Grand Theatre, London, Ontario, Canada.
August 2008
Intensely Pleasant Music: Airs & Fantasias and other piano music
Seventeen pieces recorded at the Victoria Rooms for a CD (cd.tp/ipm08). All seven pairs of Airs & Fantasias, plus Toccata, Changes (piano duet) and Are You Going? (piano triet (six hands at a single piano)), performed by Steven Kings (and JP and Daniella Acker). Supported by the Bliss Trust/PRSFoundation.
July 2008
60 second Fantasy VII released on CD - click below to buy from www.cdbaby.com
Tuesday 10 June 2008
John's Changes to be performed by Daniella Acker & Giuseppe Bavetta on two pianos in a concert at Bristol Music Club.
May 2008
John's arrangement of Gilbert & Sullivan's Gondoliers used by North Michigan University Music Department USA.
March 2008
John's arrangement of Gilbert & Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance used by the Inner City Players.
Saturday 2 February 2008, 7.30pm
Severnside Composers Alliance concert, including Piano Quartet - performed by the Severnside Ensemble. Bristol Music Club.
January 2008
Some scores now available as paperbacks from lulu.com
October 2007
60 second Fantasy VII selected as part of the 2007 International Mix for the 60x60 project - a collection of sixty pieces of electronic music by sixty different composers with each piece lasting sixty seconds. Forthcoming performances include: North Carolina State University, UNT College of Music Denton Texas, Longy School of Music Cambridge Massachusetts, University of Central Florida, Concordia University Montreal, Duquesne University Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, Minneapolis University, New Music Circle Missouri, New York, University of Sydney and Washington.
March 2007
John's arrangement of Gilbert & Sullivan's Gondoliers used by Alton Operatic & Dramatic Society.
Saturday 3 February 2007, 7.30pm
Severnside Composers Alliance concert, including Fantasy VI and Aire VII.
Bristol Music Club.
November 2006
 Choir & Organ Magazine commission I will raise him up at the last day for organ, and article on page 26 of September/October issue. Available to print online free for six months from September. Listen here.
It was premiered by Andrew Millington, Director of Music at Exeter Cathedral, at the 3pm Evensong on 26 November 2006. See the information on Twisted Harmonies for an outline of the harmonic and modal background to this organ piece.
Saturday 14 October 2006, 7.30pm
Jonathan Price & Steven Kings - piano concert - Music from the West (Dead and Alive), including John's Piano Toccata.
Bristol Music Club.
20 July to 2 September 2006
John's arrangement of Gilbert & Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance used by the Ocean Theatre Company, on the Golden Hinde near Tower Bridge, London.
"5 Stars" UK Theatre Network
"A stroke of genius" British Theatre Guide
"comically exhilarating" Time Out
"There is little, if anything to fault in this fine production" & "a rare treat not to be missed" London SE1
"Best Musical" London Lite, The Evening Standards new afternoon paper
31 July 2006
 Thy Way, Not Mine released on Naxos CD 8.557681 Hymns & Songs of the Church
Sheet music available online
Wednesday 19 to Saturday 22 July 2006, 7.30pm
John conducts his own arrangement of Gilbert & Sullivan's Iolanthe
Bristol Savoy Operatic Society, Redgrave Theatre, Clifton.
Evening Post ****
JMPD/09, JMPD/10, JMPD/11, JMPD/12, JMPD/13, JMPD/14, JMPD/15, JMPD/15, JMPD/16, JMPD/17, JMPD/18, JMPD/19, JMPD/20, JMPD/21, JMPD/22, JMPD/23, JMPD/24, JMPD/25, JMPD/26, JMPD/27, JMPD/28, JMPD/29, JMPD/30, JMPD/31, JMPD/32, JMPD/33, JMPD/34, JMPD/35, JMPD/36, JMPD/37, JMPD/38, JMPD/39, JMPD/40, JMPD/41, JMPD/42, JMPD/43, JMPD/44, JMPD/45, JMPD/46, JMPD/47, JMPD/48, JMPD/49, JMPD/50, JMPD/51, JMPD/52, JMPD/53, JMPD/54, JMPD/55, JMPD/56, JMPD/57, JMPD/58
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