I had my first piano lesson at age 8, after my grandma got chatting to a man from the Czech Republic whilst tending to her front garden. He had just moved to the UK, and happened to be a piano teacher.
I studied with Ondrej for almost 10 years, progressing through all of the grades of the UK ABRSM grading system. When I moved to university to study Physics and Astronomy, I stopped playing the piano.
Upon moving back in with my parents, and after a few years of teaching myself music production, I decided to start composing original piano pieces under the name “Joseph Thomas”.
The very first 5 of these compositions were written and recorded on what was once my grandfathers piano, then passed down to my mother, and was the piano I learnt on. “The Challen Recordings” are raw and clunky, yet delicate - a homage to the instrument that taught me musicianship throughout my youth.
Each release since has been recorded on a Haliun upright which is set up in my small home studio. I believe the piano has a unique ability to portray emotion through sound - I hope you find as much comfort in these works as I do writing and playing them.