One sunny day last week, two very special visitors came to see us at Finchcocks.

Warren Mailley Smith, is a concert pianist and Chopin expert, and is running our first ever weekend course dedicated to one composer.

He made the trip down from London, for an interview with Maddy Shaw Roberts of Classic FM, who was keen to find out how he had managed to memorise every single piece written by Chopin for the piano for a series of concerts held in London last year.

This is Warren in action on our Grotrian Steinweg in the vaulted recital room playing Chopin’s Waltz in C Sharp minor:

Warren has the gentle manner and modesty not normally associated with a person of such towering talent. He whizzed through Waltz in C Sharp minor, Nocturne in E flat major and Waltz in E minor playing each one perfectly, and all this just before a dash back to London for another concert.

Warren will be running our Chopin course in March, and will be sharing some of his memorisation tips.

If you’re a Chopin enthusiast or intrigued to discover the secrets of memorisation, send us a message using the form below or give us a ring. At the time of writing, Warren’s March course has nearly sold out, but we have a another Chopin course in the pipeline, so drop us a line if you would like to reserve a place.