Valentines Moonlight Sonata by Candlelight at St Giles

About the Event

Treat yourself and your loved ones to an exceptional piano recital for Valentines evening in the beautiful candlelit setting of St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh. Featuring renowned concert pianist, Johnathan French, the programme will include an outstanding selection of much‐loved piano works, including Beethoven's masterpiece, The Moonlight Sonata.

Jonathan French comes from Manchester and studied Piano at Chetham’s School of Music prior to commencing his degree studies at Birmingham Conservatoire.  As a former student, Jonathan won every keyboard prize at the Conservatoire and went on to gain a First Class Honours Degree and a Diploma of Professional studies with distinction whilst a pupil of Professor Malcolm Wilson, Head of the School of Keyboard Studies.  Jonathan has given many solo recitals and concerto performances at prestigious venues including Symphony Hall Birmingham, Liverpool’s Philharmonic Hall, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, Concert Hall Glasgow, and Southwark Cathedral, and is very much in demand as both a soloist and accompanist.

Notable performances have included Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto no.2 with the Birmingham Philharmonic, both at Symphony Hall, Birmingham.  He has also performed Rachmaninoff Concertos with the Liverpool Philharmonic at the Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, and with Birmingham Symphonia at the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Centre. Other notable performances include Grieg’s Piano concerto at Bridgewater Hall Manchester, and Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto no.1 at both the Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow and De Montford Hall, Leicester.  Jonathan has given many solo recitals at important musical events, including the Warwick and Stratford music festivals.  As an accompanist Jonathan has worked with numerous different instrumentalists and singers performing and recording recitals and cabarets around the U.K and abroad.  He is currently combining a busy performing career with teaching and coaching at the Birmingham Conservatoire where he has recently been given an honorary B.C. award.

“French dazzled us all with virtuosity, tenderness, humour and sheer emotional transportation.'  - Evening Mail.