John Maver is an Australian pianist and composer. Maver was born in Sydney, where he studied the piano: first under Miss Purcell of Botany Bay, then with Kathleen Horne and Ramsay Pennycuick. As a student of the NSW Conservatorium of Music, he studied piano with the noted pianist/composer Frank Hutchens, and composition with Raymond Hanson. In Sydney, he performed on radio 2CH, gave recitals and taught before sailing for London in 1968. Since then, he has given a wide range of concerts, including the Wimbledon Summer Festival, Leighton House, and a much-publicised 1981 Royal Wedding Day concert at St. Martin-within-Ludgate. He is one of the very few composer-pianists on the circuit today. In addition to a wide repertoire of neo-classical music and virtuoso Romantic music, he has established a considerable reputation with the performances of his own compositions, as well as his own poetry and he has presented concerts of extemporised keyboard work. He has worked with Ballet Rambert, the Royal Ballet, Arts Educational Schools and the mime artists Adam Darius and Nathaniel. He was also Musical Director of the International Arts Centre—participating in an American production of Hansel and Gretel. Maver returned to Australia for two years' sojourn, where he continued to give recitals, most notably for the Polish-Australian Cultural Society and performances at the Sydney Opera House with the Australian Ballet and the English dancer Maina Gielgud for a television filmFrozen Music He also appeared in the Sydney Spectacular for the Australian Broadcasting Commission. At the same time he made himself known as an actor—appearing in TV. Series, commercials, and feature films—chief among which have been Bodyline, The Last Bastion playing opposite Timothy West, Land of Hope, and Burke and Wills-in the role of conductor. Returning to Britain in 1986, Maver resumed his career with a performance of his Toccata Australis, a substantial work which has been well praised by many international pianists including Vladimir Horowitz, Nelson Freire, and Shura Cherkassky. This work was first performed in Britain by Alan Brown. The American virtuoso pianist Janice Weber has praised several of Maver's compositions as "Very Horowitzian"; an Étude for the Left Hand Alone as "Very effective. Sounds as difficult as it is." He has recorded a programme of Bach, Beethoven, Chopin and Franz Liszt, in addition to his own compositions and extemporisations. An unpublished novel has been completed, he has established himself as a photographer in the casual style and has exhibited a collection of photos charting the rebuilding of part of the Arts Educational Schools in Chiswick. Recently a London photo agency has accepted some of his photographic work to be included in their catalogue. Photographs have featured in the local press, Musical Theatre Pantomime Programmes, Spotlight, C.D record Covers, and the Kyoto Gardens Exhibition portfolio. He is related to Sir Harry Lauder, the Scots baritone, music hall singer and composer.
