About LPF
Alistair McGowan
LPF Chairman and Artistic Director
Having moved to Ludlow in 2020, and then discovering that the small, medieval town had two superb concert pianos in two excellent central venues, I hatched the idea of getting a third piano into a further (smaller) venue in order to host a five-day festival in the town. There was something appealing about a piano triangle!
Very few similar festivals take place in this country and I was delighted when the rest of my team gave me their wholehearted support.
I wanted a festival to celebrate everything the piano could do and to make the festival as varied as possible with shows involving music by classical and modern composers, jazz, interactive events, players young and old alike, jazz, silent films, masterclasses and recitals featuring the spoken word. So far, I’m delighted to say that we’ve done that – and will continue to do that.
Part of the plan was also always to bring people to this fabulous town and overlooked area of the country in order to make more people aware of the special beauty of Shropshire and to benefit local businesses.
On top of that, I wanted to give the many local amateurs a chance to play in public and to bring music to the streets for everyone to enjoy – something which our street pianos provide during the five days in May.
So far, it’s been a great success and hopefully we will continue to bring people and music to the town and to bring some people to music – and, above all, to the beauty (and wonder) of the piano. And Ludlow. It’s all in the name!
The LPF Team
Alistair McGowan
Alistair McGowan is best known for his impressions and won a BAFTA for his television series, ‘The Big Impression’ after making his name on ‘Spitting Image’.
He has also worked as an actor: regularly on radio, occasionally on television and nationwide on stage (being nominated for an Olivier Award for his performance in ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ alongside Sheridan Smith).
In 2015, to annoy some very noisy London neighbours, he threw himself into learning the piano and, by 2017, had been offered an album deal with Sony Classical – and the inventively-named ‘Alistair McGowan: The Piano Album’ reached number one in the classical charts.
In June 2024, he released his first collection of poetry (‘Not What We Were Expecting’) and he has since toured with his ‘3-in-1’ show – the first known show to mix poetry, classical piano music and impressions of Harry Kane and Monty Don.
He has also devised his own show encapsulating the life and music of Erik Satie.
Having moved to Ludlow in 2020, he set up the Ludlow Piano Festival in 2023. It is perhaps his proudest moment.
*Another volume of poetry is due out in Spring 2026*
Dr Ewart Carson
Dr Ewart Carson was born in Liverpool and educated at Liverpool College and at the University of St Andrews.
Following a short period in industry working for Philips, he moved to what is now City St George’s, University of London. Professionally a Chartered Engineer, he was Director of Health Sciences there and headed a pioneering Department that has been applying engineering and IT in medicine. This involved working with leading medical teams across Europe in areas as diverse as intensive care medicine, diabetes and telecare. His position at the university is now that of Emeritus Professor in Systems Science.
In 2001 Ewart and his wife moved to Ludlow, wanting to live in a small town in which there was a good deal of activity, particularly in the arts. It ticks the boxes! Both have been active in a range of volunteering roles. For a number of years Ewart chaired the Governors of Ludlow College. He currently chairs Arts@StLaurence’s. St Laurence’s is one of England’s largest churches, and one that is becoming increasing prominent as a regional performance centre for the arts.
Arts@StLaurence’s has responsibility for up to 30 concerts each year. As well as promoting an annual series of chamber concerts and organ recitals, they delight in being able to host events of national importance such as the Ludlow Piano Festival (of which he is a Trustee) and the Ludlow English Song Weekend. We have secured a Steinway Model D piano which has been totally rebuilt and re-voiced to the highest concert standards. This enables us to attract performers of the highest quality to the Piano Festival. It also provides performance opportunities for young pianists and other chamber musicians, particularly those from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire with which there is a collaborative agreement.
Steve Catanach
Steve is, by some margin, the least musical of the LPF Directors. His skillset lies rather more in planning, organising and generally casting a business management eye on proceedings and making sure that Alistair’s piano dreams are developed into something viable and deliverable.
Steve has a varied background but his main career was as an Administration Manager, later Operational HR Manager and Project Manager with London Underground/Transport for London over a near 30 year career. Highlight projects include recruiting hundreds of new staff for new roles on the Jubilee Line Extension, managing the operational and technical parts of Art on the Underground installations, planning and financing minor projects around the entire network to support day to day operations, helping plan and prepare for London 2012 Olympics and working on the 7/7 Investigation and Recovery Team, for which he received a Mayor’s commendation. Steve left London in 2017 for a new life with his husband in Ludlow – and was supposed to enjoy an early retirement…
As a model of not quite getting to grips with retirement, Steve picked up his ongoing self-education of music and worked with Ludlow English Song Weekend for five years, planning and delivering festivals including managing to deliver a safe and compliant festival during lockdown. This work led on to, amongst other things, managing occasional music/arts events for various organisations, hence his delight in joining Alistair and the team producing Ludlow Piano Festival. Eight years after retiring, Steve is now finally giving up paid work (and he means it this time!), but continues to volunteer with Ludlow Assembly Rooms (including two stints as Interim Business Manager), is a Trustee of Ludlow Hospital League of Friends and has returned to his railway roots as an occasional Booking Clerk on the Severn Valley Railway.
Lyn Jones
Lyn is Steve’s “other half” in the detailed planning and organisation of the Piano Festival. She considers herself to be a lapsed pianist (once reaching the giddy heights of grade 7) and is alternately hugely inspired or left with feelings of great inadequacy when listening to the brilliant Festival performers.
Lyn grew up in Mid Wales before leaving for Bristol and a Business Degree. A career in the financial industry followed with her final role being as General Manager in an insurance company.
Despite happy years living by the sea in Sussex the hills of home always called. When personal and work circumstances combined to allow a move to the Welsh Marches, Lyn and her husband Graham chose Ludlow for its historical charm and active community.
Lyn immediately volunteered for local organisations – a gardening club where she took on the Treasurer’s role and Ludlow Festival. With the Festival she organised events in both St Laurences and the Ludlow Assembly Rooms as well as acting as a House Manager for the Shakespeare play.
When the Ludlow Festival ended Lyn joined Arts@StLaurence and is currently Administrator and Concert Manager.in addition to her role with the Piano Festival.