Fiona Pears Newsletter Interview

Violinist and composer Fiona Pears started performing as a soloist with orchestras at the age of twelve. Now based in both London and New Zealand, she has forged a career as an international soloist and recording artist. Thanks to Fiona for answering the following questions:

Where is your favourite place to relax in NZ?

I love being at home with my family. I live with my hubby Ian Tilley, doggy Barnaby Jackson and Cat Millie Tilley Pears. After travelling and touring for so much of the last 10 years, there is something so special about just being able to play with the pets and spend lazy time in my new vegetable garden or painting another room in the house. Guess I love a bit of DIY! Something that contrasts well with violin practice and getting glammed up for the concerts. I also love the fact that I can stay in my PJ’s till the afternoon!

What local albums have you been enjoying recently?

Cool Water By Delaney Davidson and Marlon Williams. Love these guys!

What is your long term goal?

To never lose the passion to be a better musician and teacher.

Where do you get your inspiration to create music from?

Life! People, places and the family pets… ha ha! I keep writing tunes about the new 4 legged additions to the family! I also love quiet time. One of the tunes on, Swing Driven Thing, was written while sitting outside at midnight looking at a beautiful full moon. I find that when I am really quiet and on my own I keep getting melodies arriving in my head.

Tell us about your next release.

I have just released Swing Driven Thing. This CD is a little different to my other releases. People have been asking me for years about recording a swing album. I’ve always loved the music of Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli, and although I often play this music live, I haven’t recorded much of it until now. As always with my CDs, I like to have a mixture of styles to keep it interesting for the listener. So there’s everything from the beautiful Django piece, Nuages, my own arrangement of Duke Ellington’s famous, Caravan, right through to a few of my own compositions, including the more classical, More Than a Memory. As you can see from the cover, this album is intended to be fun! I had a great time recording it and I hope that you will hear this in the performances…

What can you never leave home without?

Sadly, my iPhone…

What inspired you to become a musician?

My family, but all I remember as that as a child I was most happy when I was playing music or listening to music. I never entertained the idea of doing anything else with my life.