Laura-Jane Rich started playing the piano aged 3. After she kept winning music festivals five years later, she won a scholarship to the Royal College of Music when she was 11. She went on to read Music at Christ Church College, Oxford. Laura-Jane, or 'LJ' to her friends, has Perfect Pitch, which means everything and everyone has a note and a key. She holds Grade 8 Distinction in Piano, Grade 7 in Recorder, and wears earplugs when going to a bar or club as most of the time the high-frequency speakers are out of tune with the bass speakers.
From hosting events to compering with a piano keyboard, LJ also works as a TV presenter for the BBC. She enjoys a degree of notoriety from her stint at QVC, the Shopping Channel, where she was the gadget and technology expert for 6 years. Since joining the BBC she's a regular contributor on TV and Radio including BBC News and Click, the BBC Breakfast Sofa, BBC World News, Working Lunch, Radio 4 You and Yours, Woman's Hour, and Radio Scotland with Fred Macauley. LJ's also played the piano on News At Ten talking about songs that sound alike, and recently spoken on BBC Newsround explaining copyright.
LJ's love of music and technology alike has led her to some quirky musical experiences! She was commissioned to statistically analyse the Eurovision Song Contest a few years ago, the study ended up being quoted from worldwide. She also gave a talk about her study in to a group of over 200 CEOs and CIOs at London's Lancaster House. LJ was also one of the few people this century to be recorded live playing the piano into a Wax Cylinder. She's played a 500,000 volt keyboard hooked up to two Tesla Coils, played at sea in a Force 8 Gale, and been turned into a lego pianist. When not composing and analysing music, LJ is fascinated by language and loves to travel. She also loves to read science fiction and write restaurant reviews.
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