Newbury composer/singer gives Favourite Festive Performance on Channel 4’s The Piano at Christmas

IF you watched the Channel 4 show The Piano at Christmas, you will have spotted Woolton Hill singer and composer Fiona Bennett. The Christmas special invited some of the favourite pianists from series one of The Piano to return to play festive numbers in front of commuters in London’s King’s Cross Station

When she appeared in the first episode of the new series of The Piano, she performed one of her own compositions on the St Pancras Station piano.

Little did she know that there were two well known musicians watching and listening from a secret location.

“When Claudia Winkleman told us all we'd been performing for Lang Lang and Mika, we were absolutely astonished and to hear Lang Lang pronounce my music ‘beautiful’ really was the icing on the cake.”

“Towards the end of the programme, one of the other pianists, 94-year-old Harry Hussey, began playing a well known song so I joined in and sang along.

“We were both thrilled to be invited back to perform Nat King Cole’s hit The Christmas Song on King’s Cross Station during The Piano at Christmas and it was such a pleasure to meet up with Claudia, Lang Lang and Mika again.”

“Other stars taking part part were comedians Tom Allen and Jo Brand and we all shed a tear to hear our Series 1 winner Lucy accompanying Gregory Porter as he sang Silent Night.”

Fiona and Harry were voted everyone’s Favourite Festive Performance and were invited to Southmead Hospital in Bristol, where they donated the piano used in the Christmas Special to the staff and patients.

“We enjoyed a lively singsong around the piano, with the patients and staff and all in all, it was the perfect way to round up 2023,” said Fiona.