From performing in railway stations on Channel 4’s The Piano to creating unforgettable concerts in remarkable venues such as Sherwood Observatory, Clipstone Headstocks and Southwell Minster Cathedral State Chamber, Chris Miggells is redefining how audiences experience live piano music with his live tour ‘The Piano Experience™’. An immersive concert series where he performs original piano music in distinctive venues such as historic buildings, cathedrals, atmospheric candlelit settings, and immersive planetariums. We caught up with Chris to talk about inspiration, unusual performance spaces and what’s next.
I’m a Nottinghamshire-based pianist and composer. I started learning the piano at the age of 12 after my parents encouraged me to take lessons, and I quickly fell in love with the instrument. Since then, I’ve been writing my own music and creating performances that bring people together in memorable places.
Many of my compositions begin with a vivid experience. It’s like a form of synaesthesia, which means the senses get a little crossed over, and experiences can often create audible musical representations in my mind. Whether it’s standing before the Grand Canyon, witnessing the Northern Lights in Iceland or exploring somewhere closer to home, I hear a soundtrack that I then develop into a piece of music. My aim is to transport the audience to that moment with me.
It was an incredible opportunity to share my music with a wider audience and celebrate the piano as an instrument, alongside so many talented musicians. The programme highlighted to me how music has the power to connect people from all walks of life through live performance.
You’ve become known for performing in iconic and unique surroundings. Why are those locations so important?
I’m always chasing the unexpected, where music can create a completely different experience. Performing at historic and unusual venues such as Sherwood Observatory, where audiences are surrounded by immersive visuals, or at Clipstone Headstocks, the “Iron Cathedral”, where the space transforms a concert into an experience people will remember for time to come. Every venue has its own wild story, atmosphere and acoustics, and this all feeds back into the music. It gives me a unique moment to be influenced and inspired, to compose and perform in ways that push the untapped potential these spaces, and myself as an artist.
Every project has been different but creating performances in extraordinary locations and seeing audiences connect so deeply with the music has been incredibly rewarding. Watching unique ideas grow into sold-out events has shown me just how powerful live music can be.
Keep exploring, keep creating and don’t be afraid to try something different. Some of the most exciting opportunities come from following an idea that nobody else has done before.
It’s hard to choose, but Sherwood Observatory and Clipstone Headstocks have both created extraordinary experiences, and because they are local that often makes a performance extra meaningful and connected to my roots.
Immersive.
Both – a classical masterpiece sets a great example to aspire to, while composing allows me to tell my own stories and bring my own originality.
I’m continuing to develop The Piano Experience, taking performances to even more remarkable venues and creating immersive concerts that combine music, storytelling and spectacular surroundings. I’m also continuing to write new music. So stay ‘tuned’!
Article written and published by Susanna Holt