Elizabeth Jones

Profile

I am a professional collaborative pianist, who has spent 15 years as a performer and teacher.  I have performed throughout Europe, in North America and in Southern Africa.  Most recently, I have worked as the Accompanist in the Education Department at Opera North.

I began my student life as a Chemistry student in London, but transferred to Durham University where I completed a BA (Hons) in Music.  My final year project focussed on American music for solo piano. I undertook psotgraduate study at the Royal Academy of Music in London, gaining an MMus in performance, specialising in piano accompaniment.  My final recital included works for saxophone and piano and voice and piano, and was again an entirely American programme. I also completed the LRAM teaching diploma.

For the academic part of my MMus, I focussed on creating new editions of works.  In my first year, I edited new editions of Poulenc’s Trio and Sextet for winds and piano, and in my second year I used manuscripts held in the RAM library to create a performance score of Francis Edward Bache’s Piano Concerto in E major (1856), which was then used by Hyperion to record the work with Howard Shelley at the piano.  I analysed the work and looked for stylistic influences amongst other composers of the period. I also wrote the sleeve notes for the recording (https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA67595). 

Following my MMus, I spent a year as a Junior Fellow at the Royal Academy, working within Royal Academy Opera as a répétiteur, and then took up a position as Accompanist at a regional music school for the following 5 years.

I am funded by the White Rose College of the Arts and Humanities for my PhD studies.

Research interests

After 15 years away from him, I have returned to Francis Edward Bache, the 19th Century composer who was, at the time, regarded as the up-and-coming light of English music, but who died at the age of 24, leaving little published work.  I am working to produce an edition of his piano works (both previously published and unpublished), and analyse and assess these works in the light of mid-Victorian British culture, in order to determine why his works languished after his death, and whether they should be returned to the public domain as an exemplar of music being composed in Britain at the time.

Qualifications

• MMus (Distinction) - Royal Academy of Music
• BA (1st Class Honours) - Durham University
• LRAM - Royal Academy of Music
• LRSM - ABRSM