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Here’s all the latest news on all things Rich and musical. Please follow me on Twitter or subscribe via RSS for the latest info.
Piano Lessons in Adelaide
posted: february 27 by Rich Batsford
Im taking students as a friendly and professional piano teacher in the Ingle Farm/Walkleys Heights area of Adelaide.
Ages 9 years and upwards, whether you want to play seriously or just for fun, I can guide you along from your very first lesson. I am classically trained, but also have wide experience in other styles.
I’ve been playing for 30 years including performances in International Festivals and I have been teaching privately for 15 years in the UK.
Apart from the joy of playing a wonderful and versatile instrument, learning piano is a really good introduction to understanding and appreciating music generally.
Lessons are $20 for a half hour slot and timings are flexible. Contact me now to book your first lesson or with any queries or questions 
adelaide, lessons, north, Piano, sa, south australia, teacher
Mindfulmess – meditative piano and reflective songs at the Adelaide Fringe
posted: february 8 by Rich Batsford
I’ve been living here in the beautiful city of Adelaide for a few months now, so its pretty exciting to be gearing up for performing my show Mindfulmess right here in the Adelaide Fringe. When I tell people, Aussies especially, that I’ve chosen Adelaide out of all possible places to live in Australia, they often seem slightly vexed (why not Sydney or Melbourne?) but, aside from the pleasures of living in a medium size city (all the mod cons sans the stress) the fact that the Adelaide Fringe is the largest festival in the Southern Hemisphere is a significant feather in its cap.
Having already performed my show in both the Edinburgh and Melbourne Fringes in the last six months its been interesting to see the show develop – honing the best possible set list drawn from my albums Valentine Court and Mindfulmess and also noticing an overarching narrative begin to emerge. The way its played out is that Im opening with some of my meditative piano music to create a nice, relaxed and focussed mood, before moving into songs exploring themes like friendship, authenticity, creativity and the search for meaning and value in the modern world. The mood builds as the show goes on, moving through the gears towards my more upbeat songs such as Everything and Nothing which expresses the joy of realising there are different ways of looking at life. Finally I close with Completion, a really energetic and epic number which finishes the show in a great, lively mood.
The venue is Higher Ground East – on the corner of Grenfell Street and Frome, right in the heart of the Fringe, just around the corner from the legendary “Garden of Unearthly Delights”. The guys at Higher Ground have won a number of Fringe awards in the past, so Im hopeful it will be a delight to play there.
My shows are every Saturday at 3pm from 16th Feb through 16th March, more info and tickets here.
adelaide, adelaidefringe, fringe, mindfulmess
Wedding Pianist Adelaide
posted: november 13 by Rich Batsford
Are you looking for beautiful, unique and romantic music for your wedding, or sophisticated, relaxing and accessible music for your gallery, event or function in Adelaide?
romantic, relaxing piano
The relaxing and sophisticated sounds of contemporary classical piano can provide the perfect musical accompaniment to your wedding, gallery opening or corporate event in Adelaide, South Australia.
Rich Batsford performs his own uniquely beautiful piano compositions alongside other uplifting, beautiful and romantic music making Rich a popular choice for performance during wedding ceremonies as well as providing the perfect touch in background music for wedding meals or receptions.
A great introduction to Rich’s music piano music is this short version of Gudonya:
“I can say with all honesty you rank alongside the best pianists I’ve ever heard. All the guests commented on how the music created a wonderful atmosphere. I’ll be sure to recommend you to everyone I meet.”
Steve & Sarah Causon
Many venues will have a piano on site, but Rich also plays a portable Roland FP4 digital piano with a wonderful sound, featuring inbuilt speakers suitable for smaller venues and very easy to amplify for the larger occasion.
“Rich proved his skills, delivering just what we wanted, and being able to seamlessly adjust the music and timing to the rhythm of the day.”
Dr Andy Pryke and Huma Haider
Rich is based in Adelaide, South Australia but is also a frequent visitor to the UK and is available to travel worldwide. To book Rich for your Wedding or other event, or just to discuss your preferences and requirements, please dont hesitate to send an email.
“Rich fitted the bill perfectly. The pieces he selected to play included several of his own original compositions and went down very well with delegates. Rich was a pleasure to deal with and delivered exactly what we were after in a very modest and unassuming way. We would have no hesitation in recommending him to others.”
David Disley-Jones, NHS
Arriving in Adelaide, two wonderful gigs and a radio interview
posted: october 27 by Rich Batsford
hi Folks
Well, my news is that I am now living in beautiful Adelaide, Australia!
A couple of weeks ago, after delightful stays in both Sydney and Melbourne (where I played three shows in the Melbourne Fringe) I arrived in Adelaide, the fine South Australian city that is set to be home for the next few years at least.
In case you dont know, its a lovely, clean, spacious city with a rich cultural life, set between amazing beaches on one side and the Hills and wine country on the other.
Ive already done two great gigs here, both of which I’d highly recommend to any music fan: C.O.M.A. (Creative Original Music Adelaide) put on a well chosen and presented programme of interesting music at popular Adelaide venue The Wheatsheaf – I’ve never heard a more attentive audience in a pub venue in my life, you could have heard a pin drop in the quiet bits.
The Singing Gallery, out in the country of McLaren Vale is an old Church converted into a dedicated music venue by a lovely, friendly couple who have done a truly wonderful job of making it a welcoming and excellent place to play and appreciate music. Highly recommended to all.
Finally, I recently recorded a radio interview with Radio Adelaide, covering my Adelaide musical debut, and telling the story of how I got an Islamic vocal group a gig in Birmingham Cathedral! Listen here (my part begins about half way through the clip).
My next shows are going to be in the Adelade Fringe in February – more news on that soon, meanwhile, im settling and excitingly, have already written three new piano pieces, one of which, “Higher Desire” is a bit of an instant classic, its a real thrill to play.
adelaide, australia, interview, melbourne, radio
Mindfulmess moves to the Melbourne Fringe
posted: september 5 by Rich Batsford
Following on from some really lovely and well attended performances of my Mindfulmess show at the Edinburgh Fringe, and with stops at Birmingham, Leeds and Bristol along the way, my next big stop is a series of three shows in the Melbourne Fringe.
Im going to be playing in the delightful setting of the Melbourne Buddhist Centre which is located in Brunswick one of the city’s, funkiest and most intetersting suburbs, easily accessible on trams 1 and 8 (Stop: 122).
My shows in Edinburgh went really well, particularly following some solid hours of flyering, so hopefully we’ll find a similar interest in mindful and meditative music down under.
Im certainly getting a positive response from the local press – Get Shot Magazine recently described Mindfulmess (the album) as “rich, inward, passionate, personal and thoughtful music”.
The reviewer goes on to say “They (the songs) are about thinking about your place in the world, valuing who you are and what you have got – they are about finding self esteem. If you are feeling down – this album will lift you up.” and thats very much the aim of these concerts too. Yes theres a melancholy tone to some of the songs, but overall Im finding that the audience leave the show feeling touched, moved and uplifted.
Mindfulmess hit Melbourne on 2nd, 6th and 7th October – hope to see you there.
meditation, meditative, melbourne, mindfulmess, Music, Piano
Mindfulmess – my Edinburgh Fringe debut
posted: august 2 by Rich Batsford
Im very excited to say (almost to nervous to practice today!) that next week see’s my debut music performance at the Edinburgh Fringe.
My show features a selection of the best pieces from my album of meditative solo piano music Valentine Court, with the main body of the show being taken from my Mindfulmess, my first album of songs.
Ive put together a show that flows along really nicely and with a couple of suitable piano pieces as an introduction, quickly settles into a section telling the story of my life and my spiritual journey, before winding up into a big, dramatic finish.
As well as being part of the Edinburgh Fringe, Im really pleased that my shows are also going to be a part of the Edinburgh Festival of Spirituality and Peace.
In combination, the various festivals on in Edinburgh during August make it the biggest Arts Festival on earth, which is pretty exciting, but also rather daunting in terms of being one very tiny fish in such a huge pond. Still, Im putting my little show out there and we’ll see what occurs!
If you or anyone you might know find yourself in Edinburgh on either the 7th or the 10th August, then come down to St John’s Church in Princes Street at 6pm and settle in for an hour of beautiful music and a glimpse into the highs and lows of my life in the last 20 years. Tickets £7/£5 in advance, and full show details are here.
Music Week Review
posted: may 19 by Rich Batsford
Rather chuffed to have been reviewed in a serious music publication – encouraging sign! Sweet review too.
Performing Live – Spring Dates 2012
posted: may 1 by Rich Batsford
Hi Folks
Im looking forward to playing some live dates again soon, its been a while. My song album Mindfulmess gets its official release fairly soon and to celebrate Ive arranged a series of concerts around the UK.
Last year I launched the album with a concert at mac which went very well – not wanting to miss out on playing in Birmingham again this time around I’m going to be playing some highlights of that concert, as well as a new piece or two, at the Birmingham Buddhist Centre in a two part concert featuring wonderfully chilled Latin grooves from Trio Habanero.
My previous concerts at the Buddhist Centre in Birmingham have gone really well, so Im also going to be playing in quite a few other Buddhist Centres around the UK. All of these concerts are open to the public, so if you fancy coming to hear me sing and play live then please do, they are friendly and easy going places and often have great rooms which are really well suited to my kind of music.
In particular Im excited to be playing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe – my first appearance at an international arts festival, but hopefully not my last. If youre in Edinburgh, or thinking of going up there during the Fringe (which I can heartily recommend) then please do come along on either 7th or 10th August.
I’ll post up some more details soon, but for now, here’s a list of where Im playing, with links to the relevant venues – hope to see you there:
6/9/2012 Croydon Buddhist Centre
6/22/2012 Colchester Buddhist Centre
6/23/2012 Birmingham Buddhist Centre
6/30/2012 Brighton Buddhist Centre
7/21/2012 Ipswich Buddhist Centre
7/28/2012 Artrix, Bromsgrove
8/7/2012 Edinburgh Fringe - also part of the Festival of Spirituality and Peace
8/10/2012 Edinburgh Fringe - also part of the Festival of Spirituality and Peace
9/8/2012 Leeds Buddhist Centre
9/9/2012 ArtsFest Birmingham (tbc)
9/15/2012 Bristol Buddhist Centre