Joseph Ordish
Pianist and teacher, trained at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
I came to the piano late, and that turned out to matter.
A first lesson
I began only because my great grandmother paid for the lessons. Starting late meant learning quickly and deliberately, and a good deal of how I teach comes from having had to work that out for myself.
Grade 8
I reached Grade 8 with the ABRSM and was performing around the West Midlands, where I grew up.
Performance and teaching
I was offered a part scholarship and took a BMus in Piano Performance, studying with David Quigley as my principal teacher. I played in masterclasses given by Peter Donohoe, and sat in on masterclasses given by Idil Biret, Robert Levin, Andrei Gavrilov and Orit Wolf.
Competitions and chamber music
I have been a finalist and a winner in several competitions, including the David Brookes Piano Competition, performing the Russian romantic repertoire that remains at the centre of my own playing, Scriabin above all. My chamber and vocal work includes the Tchaikovsky Piano Trio in A minor and ensemble repertoire from Schubert to Schnittke.
Teaching
I have taught in the West Midlands, Nottingham, China and Hanoi, guiding students through graded examinations, competitions, auditions and solo performances.
Opus
A teaching practice growing into a music school. For now it is piano, taught by me, across Nottingham and online.
Still playing
The music behind the teaching
Much of my own playing centres on Chopin, Scriabin and the Russian romantics, the repertoire at the heart of the tradition I teach from. Performing keeps the teaching honest, and it is the reason I ask students to play for others from the very beginning.