New Focus - Euan Stevenson and Konrad Wiszniewski at the Municipal Hall

Euan Stevenson, piano

Konrad Wiszniewski, saxophone

The Classical Connection

Euan Stevenson is a Scottish composer, pianist, improviser and educator. Many of his compositions begin life in solo piano form. He favours tightly wrought, melodic narratives, typically utilising simple song structures.

Maintaining a synergy between “fixed and free” elements within classical, jazz, folk and pop genres is the guiding principle of New Focus, a long-standing musical collaboration with saxophonist Konrad Wiszniewski. Their creative partnership has borne two albums for jazz quartet, string quartet and harp.

In recent years, New Focus has evolved to include a duo presentation of “The Classical Connection”- a musical exploration and commentary on the influence classical composers have exerted on jazz musicians, which draws together the compositions and styles of Chopin, Mozart, Duke Ellington, Erik Satie, Erroll Garner, Franz Liszt, Chick Corea and Bela Bartok, alongside Euan’s original compositions.