Rich Batsford
| Rich Batsford | |||
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| Background information | |||
| Birth name | Richard William Batsford | ||
| Born |
25 October 1969 Birmingham, England |
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| Instruments | Piano | ||
| Website | richbatsford |
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Richard William Batsford (born 25 October 1969) is a pianist, composer and singer-songwriter. He is a recording artist and a frequent performer, initially in and around his birthplace in Birmingham UK, and more recently in Adelaide, Australia, presenting concerts featuring original solo piano music with a classical influence.
Batsford is also a co-creator of creative network Project X Presents and Musituality, a platform for musicians of various faiths to perform together.
Born in Birmingham, Batsford lived from early childhood in and around the suburban Moseley area, known as a focal point for the city’s musical and creative communities. Beginning his musical and vocal training as a choirboy in St Marys Church, he went on to sing in the National Youth Choir and the CBSO Chorus.
In the 1990s Batsford performed as singer and main songwriter in Indie Guitar bands including Maroon. Two of his dark, short stories were published in fiction magazines in the UK and America. For ten years, he booked and promoted comedy show The GAG Club, worked as a booking agent and artist agent as well as performing as a stand up comic, and he was one of the original partners in setting up the Birmingham Comedy Festival. He wrote numerous preview articles about stand up comedy and classical music for the Metro Newspaper.
In 2007 Batsford collaborated with krautrock/shoegaze band Einstellung, for a concert in which Batsford both supported and accompanied the band, highlighting elements of post-rock shared by both artists.
In September 2009, Batsford released Valentine Court, a debut album of solo piano music on his own Mouflon Music label drawing comparisons with minimalist composers Steve Reich and Philip Glass and impressionist Claude Debussy.
In 2009 he made his major festival debut with an appearance at The Big Chill music festival performing in the Vida La Vida tent curated by ambient DJ Mixmaster Morris and was given an encore. Other festival appearances include Gigbeth, Drop Beats Not Bombs and ArtsFest - the latter on an outdoor stage in Birmingham's Centenary Square.
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