Terence Allbright
Email: terence.allbright@homecall.co.uk
Terence Allbright was born in Northampton, where, as a teenage organist, his teachers were John Bertalot and Graham Mayo. Later, he studied piano in London with John Bigg, and composition at Cambridge with Laurence Picken. After 2 years at the Royal College of Music he went to Jesus College Cambridge, where he was Organ Scholar.
He works mainly as a pianist: as a soloist he has always been keen to explore less well-known repertoire, and he accompanies many singers and instrumentalists, often appearing also in programmes of words and music - especially with actress Jill Balcon. Baritone Stephen Roberts is a regular partner, and they have given recitals in Mexico as well as at UK venues, including the Wigmore Hall; they also work together with reader Gabriel Woolf.
With mezzo-soprano Ann Murray DBE, Terence has recorded songs by Fauré, Martucci and Falla; they have broadcast together in England and in Ireland, and have appeared at festivals in Aldeburgh, Killaloe and Chichester, as well as in Paris and in The Long Room at Lord's. Together with Stephen Roberts, they recently gave what The Daily Telegraph called"a marvellous recital" in the Cadogan Hall's Schumann Festival in London. He has been accompanying soprano Jane Manning OBE in her Towards Pierrot series, and recently appeared in Gibraltar for the first time with Stephen Roberts and readers Prunella Scales and Timothy West. He is currently preparing new programmes with Timothy West, and with Gabriel Woolf and Dame Felicity Lott.
He is the pianist of the Reinecke Ensemble with Stephen Pierce clarinet and Christopher Wellington viola, and of The Singers' Ensemble - Jacquelyn Fugelle, Susan Legg, Andrew Wicks and Giles White - performing repertoire for four solo voices and piano. He accompanies the cellist Mikhail Lezdkan, and is the pianist of the Irving Piano Trio.
Terence has composed, directed and played more than fifty scores for BBC Radio Drama, but in1996, after a period with composer's block, he discarded most of his compositions to date and started again. Many of his works written since then have been performed - including songs and piano pieces and commissions for Petworth Town Band, Fernhurst Choral Society and the choir of Wells Cathedral.
After piano teaching in schools in Coventry and London, Terence worked for the Inner London Education Authority (during its last 12 years) as Piano Organiser and joint Head of Piano at the Centre for Young Musicians (now at Morley College). Later, he was Director of Music at Seaford College for 5 years and Artistic Director of the Petworth Festival for 8 years. He lives in Petworth.