Melissa Parmenter is both a prolific pianist/composer and a successful BAFTA-nominated film producer.  Her passion for music and film can often be heard in her atmospheric soundtracks composed for films such as Genova, starring Colin Firth and Catherine Keener and The Killer Inside Me, starring Casey Affleck, Jessica Alba and Kate Hudson.

In 2017 she released her debut EP, the stark and striking Scandinavia.  Inspired by her visits to the region with its brooding landscape, extreme climate and fascinating mythology, this EP marked the beginning of her long-standing collaboration with acclaimed cellist Harry Escott to create an elegant collection of piano-led compositions inspired by place.

It was followed in 2020 by her critically acclaimed mini-album Messapica, which was featured on BBC Radio London, Classic FM, Scala Radio, The Line of Best Fit and Edith Bowman's noted 'Soundtracking' podcast, amongst others.  A beautifully crafted fusion of piano and cello, it was inspired by the sights and sounds of Puglia, the region of Italy she also calls home.  

Following in this well-established tradition of being inspired to compose by locations to which she has a strong personal connection, Parmenter will release her new EP North Sea this summer.  The catalyst for her creativity this time was a Covid-era move to Norfolk, where the coast’s stunning beaches gave her the solace she was seeking.  “I was struck by the stark contrast between the silence, peace and tranquillity of the countryside and coast around us and the chaos and tragedy of the pandemic spreading across the country. The weather during that first lockdown was also unusually warm and sunny, which made the contrast even more affecting - as if nature was speaking to us,” she says. 

Written entirely by Parmenter in a cottage in Norfolk, making use of an outhouse as her makeshift studio and embracing her surroundings, she penned five brand-new pieces, partnering again with Escott.  North Sea brings together her deep and uplifting melodies with the grace and faculty of his cello. 

The first single 'Cley' (pronounced 'Cl-eye') opens with lulling waves, piano and strings creating an elegant and evocative riptide.  “The piece is constructed using the tenth interval, a feeling of safety, of natural beauty in the musical interval. The cello was written to imitate the movement of these calm waves rolling back and forth on the pebbles” Parmenter notes.

Also using the tenth interval, penultimate piece 'Brancaster' brings two musical strands together in repetition with Escott’s harmonious cello cementing their unison. 

Bookending the EP and written in two parts, 'Salthouse' Parts 1 and 2 showcase Parmenter’s love of using found sounds in her storytelling to further evoke meaning.  “The melody and themes are both at the same time united but also divided, with the second part emerging out of birdsong, a sound that became amplified and so powerful to us during the pandemic” reveals the composer.  “Suddenly we had the time and the silence to start hearing birds singing again.” 

On the forthcoming single 'Holkham', the journey becomes as important as the destination. “At Holkham, you have to walk through a lovely pine forest to reach the sand and then because of the tides, the sea often feels so far away - like a mirage on the horizon.  With this track, I wanted to write a solo piano piece that evokes this feeling of wandering, the anticipation of seeing the sea and then finally reaching the water” says Parmenter.

In her work as a film producer, Parmenter co-runs Revolution Films with director Michael Winterbottom.  She has produced many important works such as The Road to Guantanamo, Greed, The Trip series with Steve Coogan & Rob Brydon, This England, starring Kenneth Branagh, and Shoshana, which recently premiered at the BFI London Film Festival.

A brilliant and experienced pianist, her live performances showcase her innate musicality alongside her vivacious sense of humour.  Also very much a visual person, as referenced by her film work, when Parmenter recently headlined at the Norwich Arts Centre, she collaborated with local Norfolk artists Sinead and Alastair Gray to create an immersive projection experience on stage which ran during her performance. 

Using her love of moving images alongside her ability to tell stories through her music, Parmenter creates a world that surrounds the audience and evokes the nature of the regions and moments from which she gleans her inspiration and which are the source of her creativity.  Reflecting on North Sea, Melissa Parmenter adds: “Through the music, I wanted to capture the feelings I felt in that first chapter of the pandemic. The contrast between the stillness of lockdown, the solitude and the quiet and the chaos elsewhere reminded me of the sea.  The sea that shows its strength and power, but also presents us at times with peace and calmness.”