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A curious musical history...

Phil Brissenden began his musical career as a classical pianist and composer. He specialized in Romantic style, and his compositions were influenced by Liszt, Debussy, Delius, Ravel and others. He performed regularly in the 90s and released recordings on the internet through mp3.com with over 40,000 downloads before the demise of mp3.com. He was Napstered - in the early days (the real Napster) and considers this an honour.

He took up jazz piano, and became permanent member of the world jazz band The Mambos, performing in the later 90s in such as Alexander's, Chester, headlining at the Nantwich Jazz Festival, and Womad.

He learned to make computer music installations and became obsessed by music technology, and through this became a recording studio technician/demonstrator at the University of Salford.

He took up guitar, and struggled to master it from various standpoints. He never succeeded, but he wrote some good songs on it. He realized that he still dreamed of the strings...

He became a lecturer at Salford, and taught composition, studio composition and production. He became interested in tuning and the evolutionary origins of music. He learned to make flutes and to play celtic music with a shakuhachi mouthpiece. But still he dreamed of strings...

Finally he learned to make piano harps from an idea that had haunted him since childhood, and a dream of a pianist to be in direct contact with the strings. Bringing this instrument into balance has become an enduring obsession.

Phil Brissenden now performs regularly with his latest prototype 5 instrument based on an especially commissioned harp instrument from luthier Alec Annes. There are sample recordings to be found from the menus - left, and links to various collaborations.