"Raymond Banning is a very special and distinguished pianist, whose values reflect the very best qualities of the Golden Era of pianism."

Yonty Solomon

The common audience consensus, after a Raymond Banning recital, is that it is rare to hear such a warm and sensitive piano sound these days. His most recent recital at the Wigmore Hall drew a capacity audience packed with notable figures from the music and arts world and established him as a major performer in the tradition of the Great Romantic pianists.

Raymond Banning at the Wigmore Hall, March 2005

Raymond Banning's background is perhaps not quite the conventional one for concert performers. By sheer determination, he worked his way from a council estate, practising on his battered upright in the cupboard under the stairs, to the main concert platforms of this country, becoming Professor of Pianoforte at Trinity College of Music on the way.

Raymond was highly gifted from an early age and performed his first piano concertos in his teens, followed by study at the Royal College of Music. After graduating he became dissatisfied with his piano playing, feeling that he was not able to produce the depth of expression he felt inside. He decided to enter the teaching profession and spent the next eight years as Head of Music at a school in Kent, developing a fine reputation for the excellence of his choral and musical productions.

Raymond Banning at the recording studio, December 2004

Conducting occupied much of Raymond's spare time. He worked with many amateur choirs and orchestras before directing his own professional orchestra in East Kent while still in his twenties. It regularly used to attract capacity audiences and some top name soloists.

Raymond Banning with Yonty Solomon, 2005

In the 1980s Raymond Banning left teaching and relinquished all other musical pursuits to dedicate himself to becoming a solo pianist on a national level. This brought him to the attention of John Bingham who was Head of Keyboard at Trinity College of Music, and in 1990 he was invited to join the professorial staff at Trinity, where he soon established himself as a distinguished teacher and director of teachers’ courses.

He has been prominently featured in BBC Music Magazine, Classical Music magazine, Classic FM Magazine, and Readers Digest. He has also been featured on BBC Radio 3 and 4 and BBC World Service, and Classic FM, and in national newspapers such as The Times, The Independent and The Observer.

Raymond strongly believes that great music should be accessible to everyone, regardless of age and ability. With writer and broadcaster Richard Ingrams, he presides over the hugely popular piano weekends sponsored by The Oldie magazine, which allow amateur adult pianists to develop their playing skills.

Raymond Banning with Richard Ingrams, March 2005

Raymond also performs concerts of words and music with such artists as Edward Fox, Ian Hislop, Stephanie Cole and Dame Beryl Bainbridge.

In 2004 he was appointed Patron of the Harlow Piano Festival.

Raymond Banning with Ian Hislop, March 2005