Afternoon Tea Concert Cruise - Alexandra Standing & Joshua Ryan, piano duo

A luxurious afternoon tea cruise with a spectacular piano recital aboard The Piano Boat 'Rachmaninov'.

Beautiful music and an experience for every occasion in the world's most intimate concert hall

Please note that access to the boat is via a set of 12 steps from the road to the canal. There are 3 steps down into the boat after boarding, the first of which is quite steep. There is a handrail both for the canal-side steps, and the boat steps.

Enjoy the tranquility of the canals, and elegant afternoon tea, and a carefully crafted classical piano recital in your own exclusive environment. The Piano Boat 'Rachmaninov' will be your venue - a unique floating concert hall opened in 2021, and designed specifically for musical gatherings, holidays and events.

'Everything about the experience was excellent. The comfort and warmth aboard the Piano Boat, the leisurely cruise, the clarity and expression of the piano recital, the intimate setting, the sumptuous tea, and the hospitality and friendship of the hosts and fellow passengers/guests. It's almost impossible to pick a favorite amongst so much good.'
- Review on TripAdvisor, December 2022

The Piano Boat is host to a brand-new Steinway Model A grand piano, ensuring you always the finest musical experience.

We only take 10 guests each cruise, so you will never feel over-crowded. 

12:45    |   Boarding
13:00   |   Welcome drink and departure
13:45    |   Piano recital
15:00   |   Afternoon tea and Champagne
17:00   |   Return to base and disembarkation

(Timings may change slightly during the cruise)

After departure, we will cruise for approximately half an hour before mooring up in a quiet spot under the trees for the recital. Enjoy select classical favourites, and perhaps be introduced to some previously-unheard gems. Your performer of the day will personally guide you through the programme, and the musical element of the afternoon will last 45-60 minutes.

Slowly cruising back to base, enjoy a handmade afternoon tea prepared on board and Champagne for the return journey.

The Musicians - Alexandra Standing and Joshua Ryan, piano duo

Alex and Josh are returning with a wonderful programme this summer on board The Piano Boat! Both highly accomplished as collaborative and solo performers, this event promises to be an exciting musical journey exploring repertoire for 4 hands at one piano.

Alexandra Standing

Alex is an active award-winning pianist and chamber musician based in London. After completing an undergraduate in solo piano at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, she specialised in collaborative piano playing. She recently graduated with distinction from the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she studied postgraduate collaborative piano with James Baillieu, Christopher Glynn and Joseph Middleton. During her studies, Alex won the Marjorie Thomas Art of Song prize, and was highly commended for her playing in the Nielsen prize for French Song and the Gerhardt award for Lieder. At graduation she was given the Arthur Hervey award.

Collaborations with new composers has led her to performance opportunities on BBC Radio 3. Alex was a Leeds Lieder Young Artist Duo alongside mezzo-soprano Bernadette Johns in 2020, and gave a recital at Leeds Lieder as a Momentum Young Artist in 2021. She has enjoyed professional répétiteur work with companies such as Waterperry Opera, Royal Academy Opera, Hampstead Garden Opera, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. Alex has regularly collaborated with the BBC Singers, and made a recording of Jonathan Dove’s cycle The Passing of the Year in Maida Vale Studios. She has performed at venues including the Wigmore Hall and recently performed in Mexico with British singer Laura Wright.

Joshua Ryan

Australian organist, collaborative pianist, and conductor Joshua Ryan is a prizewinning graduate of the Royal Academy of Music. He is Organist and Assistant Director of Music of Hampstead Parish Church, Organist of St. Sepulchre-without-Newgate (the National Musician’s Church), accompanist of Dulwich Choral Society, and pursues a busy portfolio career alongside these positions. He is establishing himself as one of his generation’s most exciting and dynamic musicians. His recordings and live performances have been lauded as “impeccable” (British Music Society), “beautiful, wonderful, and full of colour” (BBC Radio 3), and “offers great clarity and panache” (Music Web International).

Joshua’s musical interests are diverse and wide ranging. He has worked across Europe and Australia as a soloist, collaborative pianist, and continuo player with a vast array of conductors, singers, choirs, and ensembles including the BBC Singers, Academy of Ancient Music, London Mozart Players, Hampstead Collective, Sydney Chamber Choir, Allegri Ensemble, Philippe Herreweghe, John Butt, Edward Gardner, William Vann, Iain Ledingham, Rachel Podger, Margaret Faultless, Eamonn Dougan, Nicky Spence, Thomas Hobbs, and Nicholas Mullroy. Joshua has also featured on four critically acclaimed discs of music by Vaughan Williams, Elgar, and Holst as the accompanist with the Choir of the Royal Hospital Chelsea and William Vann recorded for the SOMM and Albion labels. In early 2024, he recorded a fifth disc with the BBC Singers featuring previously unrecorded choral works by English composer Michael Berkeley.

The Chef - Rhiana Tayama

A Leith's-trained chef, Rhiana does all the catering for cruises single-handedly and on board. Everything is made from scratch using fresh ingredients, and the quality of her afternoon teas has been reviewed as being 'better than any of the major London hotels'.

'The boat is beautifully fitted, the tea was the best I have had in a long time (rivals Claridges or any London venue). Masa and Rhiana were perfect hosts, made us feel very welcomed.'

'...the afternoon tea was up there with the best I’ve ever had...'

'From start to finish it was an absolute delight! Rhiana and Masayuki skilfully segued from immaculate, delicious hosting (excellent, home-made afternoon tea lavished on each member of the audience with superb care and attention to detail), to a stunning and brilliant performance on the piano from Masayuki, to steering and managing the boat...Multi-talented, lovely people. We can not recommend the whole experience enough and are already thinking about who we can gift it to! Rhiana and Masayuki thank you so much for a wonderful afternoon that we will remember fondly always.'

Meeting point

NEAR: The River Garden, Moorhall Road, Harefield, Uxbridge, UB9 6PE

Please ensure you are at the meeting point between 12:30 and 12:45. We regret that we are unable to wait for guests not arriving by the designated time.

Parking is available on the roadside (non-restricted), and you will receive full details including a map ahead of your booked cruise date. The nearest underground stations are Uxbridge and Northwood, then a bus or taxi will take you to the meeting point.

The Piano Boat cannot take responsibility for your vehicle or possessions, so please ensure you do not leave any valuables in the car.

Please note that access to the boat is not step-free and unfortunately is not suitable for wheelchairs.