Erin Sawicka began playing piano at the age of six and was inspired to make it her career following a chance meeting with a Canadian pianist at the age of sixteen. Having trained as a classical pianist, graduating from Trinity College of Music with a Masters in piano in June 2008 and previously graduating with a Degree in Music from Birmingham University in 2003, she also gained her ATCL diploma in solo piano at the age of sixteen and went on to be awarded the title of “Vale of Glamorgan Young Musician of the Year” in 2005.
In order to further develop her skills as a classical pianist, she attended “Chethams International Summer School and Festival for Pianists” (2004-2007) and received scholarships to attend the “Birmingham International Piano Academy” (2005-2006) where she had the opportunity to play in public masterclasses for renowned concert pianists such as John Lill and Martin Roscoe and been given one-off lessons by concert pianists such as Yonty Solomon, Noriko Ogawa, Dina Parakhina and Murray McLachlan. She currently studies under Hilary Coates.
She has grade 8 qualifications in singing, flute and music theory and extensive experience performing with the Cardiff County & Vale of Glamorgan Orchestras and Choirs. As a member of the Welsh National Youth Opera, she had the opportunity to perform works such as Bach’s Magnificat in D and Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms.
Function Pianist
In addition to classical music, she has a great love and enthusiasm for jazz, musical theatre and popular songs. This broad and extensive repertoire has allowed her to meet the demanding requirements of bookings at weddings and other functions, including funeral services.
Most recently she has been receiving regular bookings from the Trafalgar Tavern in Greenwich for weddings, business dinners and food tasting sessions, and from the French Embassy, performing for various events at His Excellency the French Ambassador of Great Britain’s Residence. She has also been booked by Selfridges in Oxford Street and Peter Jones in Sloane Square to play within the stores for events and to enhance the shopping experience. Examples of other bookings include playing for weddings at Eltham Palace, playing background music for a private party in Kew and an anniversary dinner in the King William Restaurant in Greenwich.
You may either request specific music you would like her to play or, alternatively, she is happy to spend time with you to help select the appropriate pieces of music to match the ambience you are seeking to capture at the occasion. She can also provide you with a detailed list of her current repertoire on request. If you are interested in booking her, she has a Demo CD to demonstrate her performance skills and provide you with examples of the breadth of her repertoire or else have a listen to her playing on the downloads page.
Repetiteur and Accompanist
She has a great passion for repetiteur work and accompanying. Whilst studying for her music degree at Birmingham University, she acted as rehearsal pianist for the University’s Guild Musical Theatre Society and Chamber Choir, for classical productions such as Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro, Mozart’s The Magic Flute and Handel’s Messiah and musical theatre productions such as Sweet Charity, On The Town, Carousel and Bugsy Malone. Most recently she has been involved in playing for a production of ‘The Witches of Eastwick’ at the Kenneth More Theatre in Ilford, accompanying the Epsom Male Voice Choir and playing the piano for ballet classes at the Margaret Howard Theatre College and Lewisham College. She believes that her singing training and practical experience with the Welsh National Youth Opera have proved invaluable in accompanying vocalists. In Trinity College and outside, she continues to be in demand as an accompanist for recitals, auditions, competitions and assessments as well as for vocal and instrumental graded examinations.
If you are interested in engaging her in either capacity she is happy to discuss her ability to meet your specific requirements.