Uriele – Original compositions for solo piano

About Uriele Piano Music:
Ursula Gabriele Gschwendtner is a classical pianist, a composer and a clown. She is also a fully trained psychologist holding a Masters Degree from a German University. Born in Munich and brought up in beautiful Bavaria, she fell in love with New Zealand and since 1996 has made it her home.
The music Uriele writes is deeply emotive, sometimes sad and melancholic, sometimes quirky and joyful, sometimes playful like a clown. She has recorded three albums with her own piano music: SoulMoons (2012), Inner Orbit (2014) and In Between (2017).
The music falls into the genre of minimalism, driven by simple chords and repetitive patterns, and at the same time offers great variety of style. Having been trained as a classical pianist for 12 years, the influence of classicism can be noticed in the structure and the rich melodic content of some pieces that seem to tell stories. There are jaunty dance pieces bringing waltz, ragtime, shades of folk music and Jewish syncopated dance rhythms into play. Rhythm has become a strong aspect in her most recent compositions through her connection to traditional marimba music. New pieces from last year’s lock down weeks are included in today’s programme.
Based in Kapiti, Uriele teaches the piano, performs classical music and her own compositions. She regularly performs at various festivals, private and corporate functions, and retirement villages. Since 2015, she has been teaching African marimba to children and adults.