Fiona Bennett - A Country Suite
Fiona Bennett was born in Cardiff in 1962. She began having piano lessons at the age of four and at fourteen was awarded a scholarship to study piano and music theory at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.
Within two years, she was a regular performer on Welsh language television and radio, singing and playing her own material.
Fiona was awarded her LTCL performer’s diploma at seventeen and upon completion of her A levels, she was offered a place on the music graduate course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where she studied piano, trumpet, orchestration, orchestral and choral conducting and music history.
After graduating, she spent many years working as a singer, pianist, songwriter and bandleader and in the 1990s her function band 'Route 66' was the preferred band for all functions at Highclere Castle (TV’s Downton Abbey).
In 2006, Zachary, the younger of Fiona’s two sons was diagnosed with high functioning autism so she placed her music career on the back burner in order to help and support him through his early school years, attending courses and learning as much as possible about autism and Asperger’s Syndrome.
Fiona is part way through writing a book about their experiences, which she hopes will help parents of newly diagnosed children to cope with the challenges of this incredibly complex condition.
Since having children, Fiona’s life has changed considerably and she has had very little time for song writing but in 2011, she started composing music for piano and last October spent a day at British Grove Studios in London, recording the enclosed CD ‘A Country Suite’.
The music is inspired by Fiona’s love of costume dramas, especially those set in the late 19th century such as ‘Lark Rise to Candleford’ and ‘Cranford’ and each movement is a snapshot of country life during that era.
Zachary moved from his prep school to a local primary school in February 2011 and Fiona feels the school run to Hampstead Norreys has also inspired her compositions: the drive through the Berkshire countryside, the changing of the seasons, harvest time and the fact that the village has changed very little and still has a wonderful community spirit.
In addition to the suite, the CD includes a further two of Fiona’s recent compositions, ‘Tempus fugit’ and ‘Tristesse’ and Track 9 is an original Welsh folk song called ‘Tymhorau’ (‘Seasons’) with lyrics by Nia Williams. Fiona is a writer and publisher member of PRS/MCPS and all tracks are registered with PPL, published by FAB Music and recorded on her own record label, ELF Records.
With a nod towards Hubert Parry who composed his ‘Lady Radnor Suite’ in the 1890s, Fiona is working on a new suite for piano which will be dedicated to her friend, Melissa, the present Countess of Radnor.