'Without people, there is no art.'

'Success is having the freedom and self-reliance to perform the music you love'

Writing about music from the inside out is one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done. Words fail to capture the experience of sitting in the womb of creation where sound, silence, composer, an...

'Write more, worry less about what other people think, listen to music from every ‘genre’...go to concerts as often as you can'

If you enjoy this site, you might like to visit my new Substack page where, writing under my own name, I share more personal musings on music, creativity, artistic identity, memory, Dorset, food, gardening - and whatever else catches my interest. Click the image below to visit my Substack. Frances Wilson ON MUSIC & WRITING

'What excites me now is the freedom to explore.'

'Keep performing and writing and connecting.'

How I did it my way

Nadia Beard’s compelling account of how she rekindled her love for playing the piano and gained a place at Tbilisi Conservatoire

Pianists remember pianos. Not necessarily because they were exceptional instruments. Sometimes quite the opposite. We remember the piano in a childhood home, the battered upright in a school music room, a particularly lovely grand encountered at a teacher's house, an instrument played in a concert hall, or a piano discovered unexpectedly somewhere far from home.

'It’s when your music connects with somebody'

'Take the music seriously. A pianist's first responsibility is not to himself, but to the composer.'

'Play chamber music whenever you can.'

A place for more personal writing on music, creativity, artistic identity, memory, Dorset, food - and whatever else catches my interest. Click to read Frances M Wilson on Substack. Launched 4 hours ag...

YouTube video by Fran Wilson

Writing about music from the inside out is one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done. Words fail to capture the experience of sitting in the womb of creation where sound, silence, composer, an...

Pianists remember pianos. Not necessarily because they were exceptional instruments. Sometimes quite the opposite. We remember the piano in a childhood home, the battered upright in a school music room, a particularly lovely grand encountered at a teacher's house, an instrument played in a concert hall, or a piano discovered unexpectedly somewhere far from home.

'Find out what it is you really believe in and be persistent.'

'Follow your heart'

‘A teacher who has never stood before an audience cannot fully understand the peculiar loneliness of the concert platform. Equally, a performer who never teaches risks believing music exists …

I’ve been writing about music and musicians for over 15 years now - and what started as a hobby has turned into a profession.

At the heart of Facing the Music are questions about what it means to be a musician, how artistic identity is formed, and what happens when circumstances beyond one’s control interrupt the carefully constructed world of practice, performance and artistic ambition.

'Be persistent, dedicated, disciplined and passionate. Be yourself – that’s the tricky bit.'

YouTube video by Fran Wilson

The new season of Chamber Music Weymouth is a particularly special one. Not only will the 2026/27 Season mark the bicentenary of the death of Ludwig van Beethoven, and the centenary of the birth of composer John Joubert, it is the concert series’ 25th anniversary.

I’ve been writing about music and musicians for over 15 years now - and what started as a hobby has turned into a profession.

A place for more personal writing on music, creativity, artistic identity, memory, Dorset, food - and whatever else catches my interest. Click to read Frances M Wilson on Substack. Launched 4 hours ag...

'For us, every small moment of fulfilment, every result we achieve — even in the practice room — is a success in itself, something to recognise and appreciate.' Federica Righini and Riccardo Zadra, piano duo

Tickets are now available for ICONOCLASSICS at Cafe Yukari with Tyler Hay, piano at Neighbourhood Cafe Yukari, Richmond on Fri 25 Sep 2026. Click the link for further information and to secure your ti...

'Play chamber music whenever you can.'

The new season of Chamber Music Weymouth is a particularly special one. Not only will the 2026/27 Season mark the bicentenary of the death of Ludwig van Beethoven, and the centenary of the birth of composer John Joubert, it is the concert series’ 25th anniversary.

A novelist explores what happens to artistic identity when war or lockdown removes the stage, drawing on 1914 and the COVID-19 pandemic.

'I think the most important thing composers and performers can do is focus on making the best work they possibly can, and then share it with the world'