Fire and Light – Fiona Pears and Band national tour – Oct / Nov 2010
‘Electrifying’ – ‘extraordinarily animated’–‘featuring rare and natural charisma’….
These are words used to describe Fiona Pears, the beautiful and highly talented violinist and composer who tours the
country with Arts on Tour NZ from 6 October through to 6 November.
Describing her musical influences as Stephane Grappelli, Django Reinhardt, John Williams and Jean Luc Pointy, Pears
performs Celtic, Classical, Tango, Jazz and Gypsy with equal ease, sometimes all in the same composition!
Together with her talented band, Pete Fleming on Bass, Mike Ferrar on Guitar, and her husband, UK pianist and musical
director, Ian Tilley, Fiona will perform music from her own exciting compositions, including those on her latest CD,
Fire and Light, which she recorded with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. Expect a fiery melting pot of
flavours - and a thrilling, visually stunning experience.
New Zealand born and now dividing her time between London and this country, Fiona has performed and recorded with
artists such as Dave Dobbyn, Hayley Westenra, Bic Runga, and has opened for Tony Bennett, Ottmar Liebert and ‘the clown
prince of Denmark’, the late Victor Borge. Personal highlights include appearing at Ronnie Scott’s world famous jazz
club in London and performing her own compositions and arrangements with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic.
During her tour, she will be selling copies of Bear Serenade, a film about her life as a concert violinist and her 2009
visit to the Romanian Bear Sanctuary. Funds from the sale of Bear Serenade will go to the World Society for the
Protection of Animals (WSPA)
ends