Fiona Joy Hawkins
Kendall, NSW, AUSTRALIA
Official WebsiteFacebookTwitterInstagramSpotifyPandoraAppleMusicBandCampYouTube"I love writing for and playing piano, I also love spending time in the recording studio and touring. I'm classically trained, and as much as I live in the solo piano world, I also use instrumentation and sing".
Fiona Joy Hawkins is Pianist/Singer/Composer & Touring Artist who writes Classical Crossover and New Age music with Jazz and Celtic inspirations. Her music is ethereal piano to dream to.
Living in a village of 830 people in NSW Australia, Fiona tours China & USA regularly playing venues like New York’s Carnegie (Weill Hall), the New Orleans Jazz Museum, Sydney Opera House (MusicOz Awards), Echoes/NPR Radio, has accompanied Deepak Chopra in NY and played at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, amongst others.
Fiona is inspired by Chopin, Mendelssohn, Michael Nyman & admires Ludovico Einaudi, George Winston, & Yiruma.
“One of the brightest lights in contemporary instrumental music, Fiona Joy is poised to move into stardom.”
- Will Ackerman, Founder of Windham Hill Records
Fiona is known for ‘Grace’, her song on a Grammy Winning album in 2014. Also the winner of several categories of the Independent Music Awards & International Radio ZMR Awards (7 time Winner). Nominated alongside Pete Seeger for Best LIVE Performance Album in the Independent Music Awards and also an ARIA Finalist in Australia in 2008.
** Also a member of FLOW (Fiona Joy, Lawrence Blatt, Jeff Oster, Will Ackerman)
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiona_Joy_Hawkins
Albums
“Story of Ghosts” reviewed by Judson Hurd
Story of Ghosts is the newest album by Fiona Joy and it does not disappoint. Fiona Joy is an Australian pianist who has had many albums produced with the popular and talented Will Ackerman. She also is part of New Age supergroup ‘FLOW’ with Will Ackerman, Jeff Oster, and Lawrence Blatt.
The album begins with “Song for Dunnie” which is an enthusiastic piece that has much energy to brilliantly start the album. Although the song is a dedication to the late Annette (Dunnie) Crossley it is a not a sad piece but more celebratory. Fiona brings a simple but beautiful melody flowing over happy chords. The melody starts to develop and reminded me of “Woods” of the George Winston’s album Autumn. A beautiful piece that really showcases the memory of a loved one. “Story of Angels” has a minor feeling and Fiona uses higher notes in the piece to express a buildup that eventually gets big but resolves back to the original calmer volume. “Contemplating (Solo)” was recorded on previous albums but this is a solo piano version. It was interesting to hear the solo version without other instruments. I highly recommend to check out the other version as well!
The next piece that I found fascinating was “Blue Dream (Solo)”. One of the more popular pieces on the album it starts with a simple melody but Fiona really commands the piece with her expressive chord changes that bring the listener to a relaxing space.
“The Solo Tango” has a sensual, romantic, and serious tone. The music would be a great background for a serious scene in a film or TV show. Very dramatic! “The White Light” has a serious tone that reminds me of a theme that would also fit in a film about loss. Fiona does a great job using repetition to create moods and feelings in this piece.
The title track “Story of Ghosts” starts with a minimal feel and then starts to develop with the melody. This piece seems to bring up memories of loved ones who were lost and faint scenes of childhood. “Twilight” has a wishful and contemplative sound that starts in the middle registry and then switches to the higher register. I love the variation Fiona puts in her melodies!
The “The Story of Insanity” begins with a dissonant introductions and gets more fluid as the song progresses. I imagine this was written during a dark time or place. “Before the Light” ends the album with a hopeful minimal feeling that keeps the listener engaged but is a great resolution to the album. I highly recommend this album by Fiona Joy!