As ‘The Square Pianist’ Lisa combines her passions for music and history with a project she began in 2012.  Sometimes solo and at other times with a small group of musicians or singers, Lisa performs period music in authentic replica period clothing in order to bring both history and music to life.

The catalyst for this was the purchase of an 1812 Clementi square piano, lovingly restored by David Hackett, founder of the website Friends of Square Pianos.  This beautiful instrument deserved to be played and so with funding from The Arts Council England, Lisa researched domestic music making of the Regency era and had privileged access to original collections of printed and hand written music belonging to Jane Austen and her female relations. This led to the formation of a YouTube channel on which she published short documentary films, and the release of a CD of some of Jane Austen’s keyboard music. 

She now owns a fully restored Broadwood square from the 1820s, known affectionately as ‘Mr Broad’, which is sturdy enough to travel around the country with her, and which allows Lisa to perform a much larger range of 19^th century music.  She has also just added a second fully restored instrument to her collection, an 1822 Tompkison square piano which she will use primarily for recording. This more delicate and expressive instrument has been named, ‘Tomasina’.

Lisa’s unique insight into life of the period has led to her exploring other music collections, most recently that of Anne Lister, T.V.’s ‘Gentleman Jack’.  Commissioned by Calderdale Council, Lisa and her soprano colleague Verity Joy brought The Square Pianist’s research to life with another short documentary film and CD created from live footage recorded at Anne Lister’s ancestral home, Shibden Hall.  This accompanied live performances for both the Birthday Week and Memorial Weekend celebrations.  

With dress reproduced from patterns of extant garments, and with in-depth knowledge of the music Lisa is able to create incredibly authentic performances designed to take the listener back in time.  She is now in demand to share the experience with the public and has been engaged by a wide variety of museums, historic houses and cultural trusts.

Past performances have included appearances at:

Bath Assembly Rooms for JAF 2024

Shibden Hall

Bankfield Museum

Jane Austen’s House Museum

The Royal Mint Experience

Great Hall Winchester

Winchester City Museum

Harrington House

Highclere Castle

Mottisfont Abbey

Mompesson House

Christchurch Priory

Halifax Minster