Headfirst Editor's Pick
'Dazzling contemporary classical from three local virtuosos - contemplative, jazz-tinged miniatures from Pete Judge, stirring original compositions by Sandie Middleton, and rich experimental ambient from organist Huw Morgan - all raising vital funds for direct action and activism group Palestine Action.'

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Exceptional solo piano sound worlds, from uniquely personal, genre-straddling original works, distinctive and mesmerising, to compelling and unconventional covers, by pianist-composers Pete Judge, Sandie Middleton, and Huw Morgan. A rare treat.

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Trumpeter, pianist, multi-instrumentalist, and composer Pete Judge is a 'Bristol music phenomenon' (BBC Radio 3 Late Junction), playing trumpet with Get The Blessing, Eyebrow, and JOW, among other projects, and multi-instrumentalist with Three Cane Whale. He has released three albums of solo piano compositions, all recorded at St George's Bristol.

He has performed live with Sam Lee's Singing With Nightingales, This Is The Kit, Super Furry Animals, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Kneehigh Theatre, Keith Tippett's Seedbed/Celebration Orchestra, Sidmouth Folk Festival's The Transports (with Martin & Eliza Carthy), and Vivian Stanshall's Stinkfoot. He has recorded for Marc Gauvin, Chrysta Bell, Jesca Hoop, John Parish, Massive Attack, This Is The Kit, Ian Anderson's Jethro Tull, Emily Portman, Adrian Utley & Will Gregory, Aardman Animations (on the Oscar-nominated soundtrack for Robin Robin), and many, many others.

In 2019, Pete released an album of beautiful, intimate, honest, expressive, poignant piano miniatures, Piano, recorded in a single evening in the majestic setting of Bristol's St George's. Music from this album features in Adam Laity's A Short Film About Ice, and the trailer for the feature film Long Way Back (2022, directed by Brett Harvey). Piano 2 was released in Spring 2020, and chosen by The Guardian as one of the best albums of the year. A track from the album was used as the theme music for the BBC Radio 4 Extra series New Creatives Dramas. Piano 3 was recorded in February 2022.

'Will appeal to anyone who loves Satie, Michael Nyman, Cornelius Cardew, any intimate contemplative piano music.'
Sarah Walker, BBC Radio 3 Sunday Morning

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Pianist-composer-teacher Sandie Middleton is the accompanist for City Voices Bristol, Bristol Youth Choir, and Bath Good Afternoon Choirs, and performs as a duo with double bass player Ben Groenevelt. She received an international placement at the Luigi Cherubini Conservatorio Di Musica in Florence, Italy, in 2015, and has performed in venues such as St George's Bristol, Bristol Beacon, Bath Forum, Clifton Cathedral, and Bristol Cathedral, and toured regularly with City Voices Bristol to Croatia, taking part in the FAKS Sings Festival 2017, 2018, and 2019.

Sandie released her debut solo piano album A Murmuration Of Starlings in 2022, recorded in St George's Bristol, weaving together influences of contemporary classical, atmospheric, folk and pop music. With sparkling harmonies, swirling textures, and sweeping melodies the music is evocative of birds, water, and natural and emotional landscapes.

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Huw Morgan studied music at the University Of Oxford, was organ scholar at St Edmund Hall, and choral conductor at the Royal Academy Of Music, London. He is founding Co-Director of Firehead Organ Works, director of the Redland Green Choir and Clifton Singers in Bristol, guest director of Weston Choral Society, and co-founder of the Automatronic collective, performing new music for organ+electronics. Huw’s compositions have featured at the South Bank Centre, the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, the Canterbury Festival, the Bergen International Organ Festival, at Canterbury Cathedral, and on BBC Radio 3.

In 2013 he recorded his wonderfully atmospheric debut solo album Breaking Light. In 2017, David Pipe surveyed Huw’s organ music on an album titled Invocations for the Meridian Records label, recorded at Bridlington Priory, Yorkshire.

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All proceeds to: Palestine Action.

Palestine Action is a protest network that uses direct action to shut down and disrupt multinational arms dealers. The group targets UK-based operations that provide weapons used in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.