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From "Pure Heartbreak" to Hope: Peter Manning Robinson on Piano, Reinvention, and "Excursions"

A deeply reflective conversation with the Emmy Award-winning composer on grief, simplicity, the Refractor Piano™, and creating music beyond words.

By Eugenia RoditisMusicngear Editor

Emmy Award-winning and multi-BMI Award-winning composer and pianist Peter Manning Robinson approaches music as a living, breathing act of exploration. Born in Chicago and raised between Vancouver and Los Angeles, Robinson's work moves fluidly between solo piano, cinematic scoring, and instrumental storytelling that communicates beyond words. His upcoming neo-classical album Excursions marks a focused return to solo acoustic piano, shaped by years of personal and global upheaval and distilled into pieces that move through heartbreak, grief, hope, and joy.

The album's leading single, Pure Heartbreak, opens that journey with striking honesty, paired with a cinematic visual narrative. In this conversation, Robinson reflects on the emotional arc behind Excursions, composing without lyrics, the physical reinvention that reshaped his relationship with the piano, the invention of the Refractor Piano™, the role of directness and simplicity in his recent work, the personal dedication behind To Coco - My Little Beast, and his perspective on time, genre, and artistic creation.

Eugenia Roditis, Musicngear: 'Pure Heartbreak' feels emotionally bare and unguarded, as if it’s inviting the listener into a very private space rather than presenting a traditional ‘single.’ What made you feel that this was the right piece to introduce Excursions?

The past few years have been very tumultuous, not just for me, but for the world at large. I wanted the first three compositions, especially because of the videos connected with them, to have an arc that represented heartbreak, sadness and grief, then hope and joy. This is how I would like to envision everyone's life…with a bit more joy and hope!

We all struggle with the challenges and heartbreak that life brings us. Nevertheless, we must concentrate and focus on the beauty and blessings that life gives us and never give up…no matter how difficult the challenges seem.

Musicngear: 'Excursions' was written over several years and shaped by both global and personal upheaval. When you look at the album now, does it feel like a single emotional arc, or a collection of moments that only revealed their connection over time?

This is an interesting question. I believe that the answer is both. When I create, it is always in the present. I never know what will reveal itself…which is how it should be.

However, when I look back at the ark of the compositions, they certainly reflect not only what I was going through, but so many others… and certainly the planet itself!

Musicngear: Your music often evokes very specific emotional states without the use of lyrics. When composing for solo piano, how much of the emotional narrative is intentional, and how much do you prefer to leave open for the listener’s own interpretation?

The ancient Greeks had a saying: “When the words stop, the music begins." I have used this quote before and I think it is so apt.

I never intentionally set out to create any specific emotion. Whatever is going on with me, whether it's my own personal journey, or observations of others, including the world, simply appears… There is no conscious intent.

I believe that my music creates images with the individual listener and that each person will hear something different. It is not up to me to decide what that is.

Musicngear: After being forced to rethink your physical relationship with the piano, how did that process change the way you approach the instrument when writing and performing today?

I've spoken before about my work with my late mentor, Phil Cohen, head of the Leonardo Project at Concordia University, who retrained me after 10 years being told that I would never play again. Prior to working with him, I could only play for two minutes at a time.

After six months, I had tripled my playing time, but I was still incredibly frustrated. Phil then said to me, "If you had to play a concert tomorrow, how would you do it?" I said there would be no way this is possible, but he pressed me to go deeper.

I then replied: ”I would have to play very slowly and beautifully, concentrating on lyricism."

I then started to cry because I realized that this was a part of me that I had shut out of my life and my music. This experience has changed both, and I believe much for the better!

Musicngear: The Refractor Piano™ began as a traditional acoustic piano before being radically reimagined. Can you share what kind of piano it started as, what you altered, and how those changes helped you access sounds or expressions that weren’t possible before?

This is what I can reveal about the technical aspects of my Refractor Piano™: It starts with a traditional acoustic piano that is fitted with transducers that feed a combination of hardware and software.

In science, refraction, whether it is light or sound, is like a prism. The incoming signal is unaltered, but when refracted, it is changed in numerable ways. This allows me to create sounds that do not exist, except through my instrument.

Because everything originates with an acoustic piano, it has life to it in a different way than with an electronic source.

I've always traveled a different path than most. Although I used to work with other forms of electronic and acoustic music, my desire was to work in a medium and instrument that nobody else has travelled. I'm very proud of this and the music that is created!

Sometimes, directness and simplicity are much harder to create

Musicngear: After years of exploring new sonic territory with the Refractor Piano™, 'Excursions' marks a return to solo acoustic piano. What did that return feel like for you, creatively and emotionally?

I personally don’t believe that it’s a return per se. Since the Refractor Piano™ is built around an acoustic piano, it is more like another tributary and extension.

Much of my acoustic piano work can fall into the outer regions of exploration. However, this collection needed to be more direct in its emotion. This certainly was spawned by my realization in question 4.

Sometimes, directness and simplicity are much harder to create!

Musicngear: 'To Coco - My Little Beast' is a deeply tender piece. When you write something rooted in love and memory like this, what guides you in deciding how personal the music should be, and how much of that story you want to share with the world?

Sadness and grief are universal emotions, whether it is a person, an animal, or an event. Re your previous question regarding not working with lyrics, this allows me to express emotions that transcend specifics.

I have been very honest publicly about my childhood, including living on the streets when I was 12.

I am grateful for every event that has happened to me. It has shaped me as a man and my music. However, when I tell my story musically, I then leave it to the listener to experience how it connects with them.

I would like to mention the collaboration with my great friend, filmmaker Klaus Hoch. It is interesting that the videos that he creates are quite often very different in subject matter than how I hear the music. Again, this is the beauty of art!

Musicngear: You've moved between classical structure, jazz improvisation, cinematic scoring, and deeply personal solo work. If you could place 'Excursions' in any moment in music history for a live performance, where and when would it be?

Well... this question is a huge compliment to me! I never see my music as any specific genre. I simply create.

I heard a story about Stravinsky. He was asked, “When is the best time period to create music?" He answered: “Anytime is the best period to create music!"

I believe that an artist is the sum total of past present in future…both for themselves and the world. As we go through our journey, this will change and morph, but hopefully, it will always reflect these things.

So… my answer would be now…and any time!

Connect with Peter Manning Robinson
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About Eugenia Roditis

Eugenia's passion for music was ignited from an early age as she grew up in a family of musicians. She loves attending concerts and festivals, while constantly seeking fresh and exciting new artists across diverse genres. Eugenia joined the MusicnGear team in 2012.

Contact Eugenia Roditis at eugenia.roditis@kinkl.com

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