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Meg Morley

Classically-trained from the age of two, Melbourne-born London-based musician Meg Morley was awarded Distinctions by the Australian Music Examinations Board for its Associate and Licentiate diplomas in piano before completing a Master of Music in classical performance and a Postgraduate Certificate in composition at age twenty three. During her studies she was fortunate to have performed as a soloist with the, then, Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra and to have had her first ensemble composition performed by the internationally-acclaimed Darling Downs Trio.

Meg studied jazz improvisation at the Victorian College of the Arts while she was a pianist with the Australian Ballet before moving to London, in 2010, where she has worked with various international dance companies (Matthew Bourne, Pina Bausch, English National Ballet, Rambert Company, Alvin Ailey ADT). As a composer for dance she has collaborated with various amateur and professional choreographers for live performances, including a highlight, in 2019, of working with members of the award-winning musical group Kefaya and contemporary dance company International Arts Collective for an inspiring ensemble production in London called FREE. 

Since performing her first improvised score for silent film in 2016, Meg has regularly played at various international film festivals (Il Cinema Ritrovato, Netherlands Silent Film Festival, Le Giornate del Cinema Muto) and has recorded original scores for several DVD releases (including Hitchcock's The Ring for US company Kino Lorber). She is a house pianist for the British Film Institute (at Southbank) which commissioned her, in 2018, to compose, perform and tour a score for the Meg Morley Trio to accompany several silent films starring Mabel Normand. Birmingham's Flatpack Festival also commissioned her for a collaborative score with Derbyshire's electronic band Haiku Salut for the 1930 German experimental silent film People on Sunday. 

Meg was deemed an Exceptional Talent by Arts Council England in 2018, after releasing two debut recordings: the solo piano EP, Through the Hours, and the Meg Morley Trio album, Can't Get Started, with Richard Sadler (double bass) and Emiliano Caroselli (drums). Both releases received four-star reviews from various international publications. Journey Through Home - the trio's second album, also recorded in London - will be launched and toured in the UK and Italy in June 2022.

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7
Album Review

Petra Haller / Meg Morley: Shoulders I Stand On

Read "Shoulders I Stand On" reviewed by John Eyles


Having been recorded in November 2022 by Henning Svoren at Ocean Sound Studio in Giske, Norway, Shoulders I Stand On was originally released in May 2023 as a CD or download. March 2024 marked a further milestone in the album's history when it was released on blue vinyl as a limited edition twelve-inch LP, comprising the same tracks as the CD and bearing the same artwork. To add to the cosmopolitan flavour, the release features the jny:London-based duo of Australian-born ...

7
Album Review

Petra Haller and Meg Morley: Shoulders I Stand On

Read "Shoulders I Stand On" reviewed by Bruce Lindsay


Shoulders I Stand On is a duo album, but not a typical one. It is a recording which combines piano with tap dance, the interplay creating a soundscape that is both original and fascinating. Meg Morley, an Australian musician based in London, is an experienced and skilled accompanist who has played for silent movies and for dance ensembles including Ballet Rambert. Morley has also released a couple of trio albums, 2017's Can't Get Started and 2022's Journey Through ...

7
Album Review

Meg Morley Trio: Journey Through Home

Read "Journey Through Home" reviewed by Bruce Lindsay


Meg Morley self-released her debut EP, Through the Hours, in 2017 and followed it up a few months later that year with her trio's first album, the self-published Can't Get Started. Five years later, the same trio--Morley on piano, Richard Sadler on bass and Emiliano Caroselli on drums-- has returned, with Journey Through Home. It is a very welcome return, a record that retains the verve and quality of the previous album while expanding the range of Morley's compositions and ...

7
Live Review

Meg Morley Trio at 606 Club

Read "Meg Morley Trio at 606 Club" reviewed by Gareth Thomas


Meg Morley Trio, and the Will Sach Band from the Royal Academy of Music 606 Club London April 10, 2018 Underground in Chelsea's cosy and rustic 606 Club, Meg Morley performed her trio's debut album, Can't Get Started, alongside Richard Sadler on double bass and Emiliano Caroselli on drums. The Australian pianist comes from a background in classical music: She has played piano for the Australian Ballet and Royal Ballet, as well as for a ...

15
Album Review

Meg Morley: Can't Get Started

Read "Can't Get Started" reviewed by Bruce Lindsay


Only a few months after releasing her debut solo EP--Through The Hours (Self Produced, 2017)--the London-based Australian pianist and composer Meg Morley releases her first trio album, Can't Get Started, in the company of bassist Richard Sadler and drummer Emiliano Caroselli. Through The Hours was an impressive debut, showcasing Morley's ability to conjure up varied moods and at times unsettling atmospheres. Can't Get Started takes things further, expanding her thematic ideas and taking full advantage of the contributions of Sadler ...

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Album Review

Meg Morley: Through The Hours

Read "Through The Hours" reviewed by Bruce Lindsay


Pianist Meg Morley's debut solo release, Through The Hours features five original compositions that highlight the London-based musician's talent for what fellow pianist and composer Kit Downes refers to as her “Subtle voicings and elegant turns of phrase."Morley is originally from Australia, where she studied classical music and jazz, but has been resident in London since 2010. Her day job is as pianist for the English National Ballet School: she has also worked with choreographer Matthew Bourne and ...

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“Sadler and Caroselli give her music an added depth, making this group one of the most exciting on the current UK scene" ★ ★ ★ ★ - Bruce Lindsay, All About Jazz

"Morley's style is suffused in Jazz and references the Impressionists, revealing new depths in each encounter" ★ ★ ★ ★ - International Piano Magazine

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