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Laurent De Wilde, the Mid-Atlantic piano player of the year, is a graduate of the Ecole Normale Supérieure. This school and a few others like it are called Les Grandes Ecoles and they are comparable to the Ivy League. They produce the elite in this country. And so it seemed appropriate to ask De Wilde: "What's a nice guy like you doing in a métier like this?" He replied with a very American have-a-nice-day croon: "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

Read more about Laurent de Wilde on Last.fm.

The Heritage Orchestra is a pioneering cross-genre 40 - 60 member ensemble that ignores classical elitism, and refuses to be a part of the new glossy classical-corporate movement; both of which are diminishing the long-term integrity of orchestral music in the UK. So whilst the British music scene struggles between purist and popular representations, The Heritage Orchestra leads a defiant new musical direction fuelled by daring reinterpretations, complex collaborations, fresh compositions, and the most exciting performances in town.

In 1988, Ray Gelato appeared playing and singing in the hit British film, Scandal. That same year, he formed Ray Gelato and the Giants of Jive. This bigger, seven-piece band was the prototype of the winning formula Ray uses today. The group recorded three CDs before disbanding in 1994. In 1994, Ray found more film work, performing on the soundtrack for the BBC drama, No Bananas. That same year, he formed The Ray Gelato Giants, with whom he still performs today.