Pete’s other projects:
Gertcha: The UK’s top Chas & Dave tribute show
BIOGRAPHY
Since graduating from Lancaster University, first with a BMus (Hons) and then an MPhil degree in the 1990's, Pete Faint has been working consistently as a musician for more than two decades in a vast array of genres and styles, from pop to classical to musical theatre. He is a highly regarded pianist, keyboard player, accompanist, arranger, composer, author, musical director, band leader and vocal coach and has considerable experience as a theatre producer, studio producer, engineer and conductor.
He currently divides his time between being Musical Director and vocal coach at Wilkes Academy of Performing Arts in Swindon, as part of Gertcha, the UK’s leading Chas & Dave tribute show, and as keyboard player for the Rewind All Star Band, to be found performing with a multitude of million selling artists at Rewind Festivals throughout the UK every summer. He also works as keyboard player for Cutting Crew and for Jimmy Sommerville, touring across the world. Pete has performed with countless pop artists, including Nik Kershaw, Holly Johnson, Tony Hadley, Belinda Carlisle, ABC, Jason Donovan, Midge Ure, Jimmy Somerville, and many more. Oh, and Priscilla Presley. Click here for a full list of artists with whom Pete has performed.
Pete performing as Musical Director for Jonathan Wilkes.
At the same time Pete works extensively throughout the UK as musical director and band leader for Jonathan Wilkes in corporate shows, charity balls and theatre shows. Both have worked in pantomime together eight times, and Pete has worked on somewhere in the region of 30 pantomimes, as either Musical Director, Musical Supervisor, or arranger, working for Qdos Entertainment for many years. In the past he has twice been musical director for Joe Longhorne, and was director and musical supervisor for Veritas Entertainment for five years. He can often be seen sporting a gold suit and a keytar in front of orchestras and in recent years has performed with the Halle Orchestra, the Ulster Orchestra.
He is also widely regarded as the world authority on Dance Band leader and theatrical entrepreneur Jack Hylton. He created the extensive official Jack Hylton website, wrote the definitive biography on Hylton in 2014, and in 2015 produced his own Hylton theatre show, featuring a 20-piece recreation of Hylton's 1930's orchestra, to unprecedented commercial and critical acclaim. Pete appeared on the BBC documentary Len Goodman's Dance Band Days talking about Hylton and was advisor for the TV dramas Eric & Ernie and Shirley, where Hylton was referenced. He also supplied Hylton music for two episodes of Downton Abbey.
Pete's teaching credits include periods working at guest MD and vocal coach at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts, The Hammond School in Chester, Liverpool Theatre School and for many years as Lecturer in Music Theatre at The University of Central Lancashire in Preston. This work led to Pete producing two hugely successful albums of vocal warm ups which are used extensively by students and professionals worldwide.
Pete conducting his Jack Hylton Orchestra in 2015.