James Hurley at The Rooms

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Date: Aug 22
8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Where: Level 3 Atrium
Music

James Hurley is a classical pianist with a passion for improvisation. While doing his undergraduate degree in piano performance at Memorial School of Music (St. John's, Newfoundland), his paths crossed with percussionist John Wyre, who opened up the world of sound and free music playing which would become a constant spring of inspiration. Following this, James moved to Boston for 3 years where he completed his Masters Studies at the New England Conservatory. While studying classical music there with Alexander Korsantia, James was active in many recitals, often improvising whole concerts in a duet format. He also started an improvisation project, gathering large groups to improvise soundtracks to feature films. Since 2011 James has relocated to Germany. A dream he's had since he was a child became realized in 2015 as he opened Piu Piano, a live performance venue and piano school. This space is located in Neuburg an der Donau, a beautiful town in Upper Bavaria. After quickly filling the piano teaching studio, James has curated and presented dozens of workshops and concerts featuring respected artists from around the world. As a performer, James combines his love of classical and improvised music. His solo work has focused on long form improvisations which are serene explorations of space and timing. This can be heard on his two recently released recordings, Nightscapes and Winter Music (2017, 2018). A new release scheduled for 2019, "Sun Will Rise" will feature shorter improvisations, which largely focuses on the opening notes of the Dardanelles CD "Eastern Light". The music from "Sun Will Rise", in the words of Andrew Dale from The Once, "...Immediately draws the listener into unknown, yet familiar territory...makes you feel like you've been here before...like you're returning to a place you haven't been to in far too long."