About Frances
BIOGRAPHY
Frances studied classical piano from an early age, and always ‘made up’ music, writing her first ‘Waltz in C major ‘ at the age of 7. ’As a child, I thought that was what the piano was for!’ she says. Coming from a deeply religious family background, her first influences were of classical and church music, both of which resonate clearly in her work today.
Turning her back on chances to study further in the classical idiom due to her increasing interest in contemporary music, she discovered the acoustic guitar and song writing in her teens. Keen to learn about the music business she took a job with Gem Music in London, where she worked first for composer Mike Leander and later for David Bowie’s manager.
Discovered at the age of 22 by Grace Coddington at Vogue she embarked on a successful ten year career as a fashion model, which ran in parallel to her musical career as she continued to write and perform at venues around the world.
Throughout a break for marriage, children, divorce and starting her successful event business, she developed her compositional style further, becoming increasingly interested in improvisation and chanelled music, her work mostly focussed on the the piano. During this period she released the acclaimed cd INTERIORS, an album of reflective solo piano music inspired by her home. As soon as single mother responsibilities allowed, she re-joined the world of performance, writing, recording and touring with experimental electronic band Future Primitivehem for 2 years before forming her own band.
She returned to formal study of music in 2005, graduating from The University of Essex three years later with a BA ( Hons ) music, new skills in music technology and a rekindled passion for composition and film music.
Today, her main focus is creating songs and new instrumental work for film, dance and theatre. Having worked with composers such as Richard Hartley, Thomas Dolby and Ross Power she has the ability to draw from a lifetime of exposure to an eclectic mix of musical genres, and is able to incorporate styles and influences from her church going childhood with electronic and orchestral timbres. Her work is recognisable by its atmospheric and emotional content, and by her innate sense of melody. She is currently working on music for a project creating a film about the drug rehabilitation process and the transformatory power of access to personal creativity.
Frances loves to perform and enjoys collaborating with up coming artists. She is currently working on projects with artists Kay Smeaton, Junior Garr, and Kate Harwood amongst others.
