The Piano Player of Budapest

A story about a piano and its most prodigious player—and how they both survived one of the darkest periods in history. When her father died, singer-songwriter Roxanne de Bastion inherited a piano she knew had been in her family for over a hundred years. But it is only when she finds a cassette recording of her grandfather, Stephen, playing one of his compositions, that the true and almost unbelievable history of the piano, this man, and her family begins to unravel.

Stephen was a man who enjoyed great fame, a man who suffered the horrors of concentration camps in WWII, a man who ultimately survives—along with his piano. By piecing together his cassette recordings, unpublished memoirs, letters, and documents, Roxanne sings out her grandfather’s story of music and hope, lost and found, and explores the power of what can echo down through generations.

Author Biography

Roxanne de Bastion is a singer songwriter and artist advocate. She has released two critically acclaimed albums that have been championed by the likes of Iggy Popand has garnered praise in The Observer, NME and Rolling Stone Germany. Roxanne sits on the board of the Featured Artist Coalition (alongside artists such as Blur’s Dave Rowntree and Imogen Heap) and the PPL Performer Board, where she represents artists’ rights. Roxanne is also the founder of the independent artist conference FM2U (From Me To You), which encourages artists to support and learn from one another.