On 30 June I gave a piano recital at St Pancras church (opposite Euston station) in central London in aid of CRY which raised around £1270 pounds in total.

I currently work for NHS regulator NHS Improvement although I used to be a part time concert pianist. I retired from financial services in 2005 and was then able to study under two of the finest teachers in the UK, Professors Hilary Coates and Christopher Elton and have been giving recitals ever since mostly in central London such as Steinway Hall and St Bride’s church, though less frequently since I returned to employment in 2014.

The recital came about after our legal Director Kate Moore came to a recital I gave in January 2016 and suggested I gave a concert in aid of CRY as this is the nominated charity of our predecessor regulatory organisation Monitor. She immediately suggested St Pancras as her husband is the musical director there and the vicar very kindly allowed us to use the venue free of charge to maximise proceeds for CRY. It was a real privilege to have access to such a spectacular venue in Central London free of charge. The evening was organised by Kate and our colleagues from NHSI also served drinks in return for donations which swelled the coffers.

The attendees numbered approximately 120 and the concert lasted approximately one hour. I generally specialise in late Romantic and impressionist composers so the programme included well known pieces such as Debussy’s Clare de Lune and a medley of themes from Rachmaninov’s second piano concerto, which I arranged myself, to 20th century pieces such as Scriabin’s second sonata and Ravel’s Une Barque Sur L’Ocean. I believe the concert was very well received as I played two encores. The recital was filmed by a friend and is now on YouTube. I hope to do a further recital in aid of CRY next year.

David Dean