Olly Wedgwood started OllysPianoSheets.com in 2011 as a self-publishing website for his original piano sheet music, backing tracks, and e-books. It is now an established resource of inspiring piano repertoire for students and teachers across the world.
Olly has been playing the piano, singing, composing and performing in public from an early age. In 1986 he was awarded a music scholarship to Hampton School near London where he started to write for his favourite instrument - the piano. His first ever piano composition was called 'Radius', which he performed at an assembly during his first few years at Hampton School.
After four years of formal music training, Olly 'discovered' jazz when he accidentally heard his piano teacher playing in the style of George Shearing. Hooked on jazz, he began to study jazz piano under top UK pianist Roger Munns. He formed, conducted and managed the Hampton School 15-piece ‘Big Jazz and Blues Band’, also recruiting players from the girls' school next door ;).
At Cambridge University, Olly directed and performed in ensembles ranging from pop and rock ‘n’ roll outfits, to jazz trios and big bands. In 1993 he formed ‘Selwyn Jazz’, a jazz big band with his partner-in-crime Jon Hooper and the band is still gigging to this day. (Editor's note: Olly actually studied a degree in Engineering, but probably spent more time on the gig circuit than he did in the engineering lab…).
After graduating, Olly worked as an engineer and physics teacher by day, also conducting the Magdalen College School big band in Oxford. By night, he gigged with various jazz and soul ensembles, both as a wedding pianist-vocalist and as a 'front man' wedding entertainer.
In 2004, he handed in his notice for his day job and went 'pro', playing frequently with the Oxford Jazz Quintet, one of Jamie Cullum's previous ensembles. Also in that year, Olly co-wrote 'Wedgwood Blue', a landmark piano collection which brings together the extraordinary talents of the Wedgwood family. Olly's younger brother Sam Wedgwood is a talented musician and their mother Pam Wedgwood is recognised around the world as one the UK's most prolific and successful composers of popular repertoire for young instrumentalists.
In 2006, Olly formed his Jazz Soul Boogie Band, a top notch wedding entertainment band on the professional gig circuit in the UK, performing a variety of music styles from jazz swing, Latin to funky soul. The band has grown from strength to strength and wherever Olly is playing, you're guaranteed a great night's music and lots of dancing!
Since then, Olly has continued to compose, arrange and perform jazzy piano music, which led him to set up OllysPianoSheets, giving him a platform from which to share his music.
Through OllysPianoSheets he loves writing fun and engaging piano music for beginners through to more advanced pianists. He also enjoys recording high quality play-along backing tracks for these compositions and he has self-published several graded piano repertoire books.
Olly now lives in Tring, UK with his wife Lee-Anne and their dog Buddy.