One of Pem’s main focusses has been playing solo piano and Pem has performed in many venues as detailed below. Listen to Pem playing:
Windsor Hotel
Pem and Penny were staying at the Windsor Hotel in Melbourne and in the late afternoon Pem was invited to play the grand piano in the main lobby of this fine establishment. This was much to the delight of staff who could recall days when it was a regular occurrence.
Terra Ferma
I played solo piano here on Saturday nights for quite a long time, possibly two years or so, so that would have clocked up maybe of the order of close to 100 occasions. Payment was a meal and a drink on the house.
(And yes, the spelling Terra Ferma is correct for this particular restaurant.)
Olim’s Hotel (now the Mercure)
I played solo piano in the lounge bar of Olim’s Hotel regularly on Thursday and Friday evenings. I am not really sure how many occasions that would add up to but quite a number. After being paid we would then spend the proceeds in the hotel dining room.
It was very cost effective from their point of view.
The baby grand piano was a wreck but they replaced it eventually with one a bit less wreck-like. By working both pedals furiously one can disguise quite a number of the piano’s technical shortcomings as it sinks into a state of terminal decrepitude.
Beth Hamilton Art Gallery
Beth Hamilton a Sydney artist ran an Art Gallery in the Northbridge shopping centre next to the DEM office building. We acquired quite a few works from Beth over the years. I would occasionally play piano for her Gallery openings. We still keep in touch with Beth all these years later. She has turned 90 at the time of writing.
Pem playing at one of Beth’s Gallery openings. That is Beth on the left of the picture and whilst she looks formidable she was really just charmingly feisty.
Cafe Belair
For a piano player this was an almost perfect gig. Pem played there on Sunday mornings from 10.30am until noon, sometimes stopping for a coffee but occasionally playing right through. The Cafe was run by a lovely South Korean couple Jo and Allen who treasured and nurtured all their customers.
In the Belair area there are a number of retirement villages and some of the elderly at the Cafe would look wistful, possibly recalling their younger years dancing at the Palais Royal, as Pem played his way through some of the songs of the Great American Songbook as in Cole Porter et al. Like all good things this came to an end when Jo and Allen moved their business closer to the city.
Numerous Private Functions
Katy and Glenn’s special day for their wedding and with the reception then held at the University of Sydney. It was all very gracious and another great turn out of friends and family.