Mike Rowland

New age composer Mike Rowland entered the world in London during 1958. From childhood onward he displayed an instinctive ease with both writing and performing on the piano. Once formal education ended, he operated an antique shop that deepened his regard for the rare objects moving through his care. He performed on the church organs housed at Albert Hall and St. Paul's Cathedral, while privately shaping atmospheric pieces on piano and synthesizer at home.

During a woodland stroll in the early 1980s an ethereal yet modest theme reached his ears. Returning to his living room, Rowland recorded the theme from memory onto tape, then layered synthesizer strings over it until Fairy Ring stood finished. Copies duplicated on his domestic recorder found their way, without fanfare, into the hands of acquaintances and local outlets. That unassuming start propelled Fairy Ring across the globe, where it has remained among the most lasting new age releases ever; Shirley MacLaine later featured the work in her video Inner Workout.

Rowland still appears in occasional live settings. While touring The Hague in 1986 he joined Oreade Music, securing international promotion and distribution for his catalog. The same mystical simplicity has continued to mark his outlook. His recorded output comprises Piesces (1990), Within the Light (1996), and My Elfin Friends (1999). Land of Hope and Dreams arrived in early 2001.