Tom Donald: Scottish monks and the art of improvisation

Australian born composer and pianist Tom Donald is known worldwide for his mesmerizing piano improvisations and award-winning compositions for the stage and screen. The founder of the London Contemporary School of Piano, he’s presented and performed with the BBC, recorded at Abbey Road, and written for the media. He’s not afraid to bend and merge genres, with his latest album, Pax Aeterna, a musical collaboration with the Benedictine monks of Pluscarden Abbey in Scotland, which is available now to buy and stream digitally.

In this conversation, Tom tells the intriguing story of the collaboration with the monks of Pluscarden Abbey, speaks of his musical journey from Coonabarabran to London via a piano bar in Tamworth, and shares some secrets of the art of improvisation.