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Mr Ayress (1956, Clacton-on-sea, England) comes from a musical family; his father went to conservatory and studied piano, his mother sung in several choirs and his grandfather played clarinet in the marine orchestra. John had piano lessons during childhood, both from his father and professional teachers, but it was only in Holland where he has now been living for 25 years, that his talent for composition came to light.
John 'Amadeus', as his friends call him, composes chiefly for piano. Having written over 30 pieces for this instrument, about half of these have been recorded on his debut cd Suite Nostalgia.
These romantic pieces of a light classical vein, recall, according to some, 19th century romanticism; not surprising considering that Chopin and Schumann are John’s great examples. On the other hand his music has been said to evoke a New Age quality, however one may define this label; John admits being equally inspired by contemporaries such as Nyman and Morricone. In his own romantic style, John’s compositions display both original and lyrical phrasing within a strong melodic structure, and surprising twists in both direction and tempo, especially where an occasional jazz element makes its entry.
Together with the Japanese concert pianist, Nobuko Takahashi (1962, Osaka), also resident in the Netherlands, John has organised several concerts in which a number of his compositions have been performed.
His love for another instrument the church organ has also inspired him to write a number of organ works. Although writing for these instruments keep him fully occupied, John forsees the day when he might try his hand at composing music for a larger orchestration.
At present, John is studying music theory and organ with the Haarlems’ organist, P.de Jong.
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