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John Overton
harpsichord, piano, organ,
composer, arranger, accompanist and conductor.
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Listening to John playing the harpsichord was a spine-tingling
experience. His intimate connection with the instrument was palpable
and mesmerising; an experience I will never forget! Pam
B, Nova Scotia 
John Overton was born and educated in
England, studying music at New
College, Oxford. As a young adult he moved to southern
Sweden, where he later did his Masters
of Performing Arts (at Musikhögskolan in Malmö.)
During his 30 years in Sweden he founded and directed the
17th- to early 19th-century period-instrument Aurea de Sunt Ensemble
that
gave its name to a yearly Spring Music and Arts Festival. Aside from
his posts as Musikdirektör
and Organist
in Lutheran Church Parishes, he performed
many concerts as piano accompanist, gave organ recitals, played
keyboards in the Malmö
Opera Orchestra (including works by Britten,
Sondheim, John Adams, Bartók) and played some concerts with the Malmö
Symphony Orchestra. His Expandable Quintet
performed in Portugal. His
all-male singing group specialising in Gregorian Chant performed on
television, as did his chamber choir (Cecilia Kammarkör)
who also
toured Europe. Well-known in southern Sweden for his organ and piano
improvisations, he has also played and conducted in his native England,
in Portugal, Ireland, Germany, Denmark, Estonia and Canada. Recently he
has played with Chris
Norman and with
David Greenberg and his baroque ensemble Tempest; he's
also been part of Scott
MacMillan's Within-Sight-of-Shore
ensemble.
John's compositions include songs,
musicals, jazz pieces, music for choir,
organ, chamber-ensembles and orchestra, many hymn-tunes (some with
original texts by him,) and arrangements.
Part
of John's more recent work is with singers and instrumentalists to help
ease tensions and blocks to music-making. He is trained in Chinese Traditional
Medicine/acupressure - see the therapy
link.
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