Biography Thea Wray, stage name Thea Wray, was born in the UK to Jamaican parents and was raised and educated in Jamaica and the USA. She started piano lessons at the tender of three years and six months in Swindon, Wiltshire. She continued her musical training in Jamaica studying first with Mrs Pat Lyew and then Miss Ena Helps. She received the highest marks in the island for the grade eight pianoforte examinations for the Associated Board of the Royal School of Music in 1972 and gained a Licentiate in Pianoforte Performance from Trinity College London in 1977. Between 1974 and 1977, she ran a small piano teaching studio where she taught piano up to grade 3 in Kingston, Jamaica. She read for a BSc in natural sciences (1975 -1979), an executive MBA in marketing between 1992-94 from the University of the West Indies (UWI) and a Masters in Aquaculture from Auburn University, Alabama (1980-81). As a youngster and then an adult, she was involved in the music ministry at her church, Bethel Baptist in Kingston, playing both the piano and organ. She also worked as a keyboardist in several theatrical productions including the Jamaican National Pantomime; sang in several commercial advertisements in the mid eighties, did vocal session work for Jamaican singers such as Karen Smith and A J Brown and offered her keyboard and vocal services for private functions. Thea entered the world of music full time in 1997 after having divided her time between her musical career, her studies and work in the fields of Banking, Environment and Real Estate. She relocated to the north coast of Jamaica and became active in the hotel entertainment circuit as a cocktail pianist/vocalist. In addition to her solo work she performed as vocalist/pianist in a jazz trio setting at five star hotels including Sandals Dunn's River, Couples, Ciboney and Round Hill Hotels between 1996 and 2000. Thea decided that she needed to seek out new opportunities to further her music career and took the bold step to return to the UK in early 2000 with her family. Her first step was to complete a one-year certificate course in Jazz and Pop Studies at Goldsmith College, New Cross, London in 2001. She was vocal tutor for Black Women in the Arts in Hackney between 2001 and 2004. She then set up Support the Sound, (in Lewisham, before relocating to Nunhead, South London) a music tuition practice that currently has over 40 students enrolled. She divides her time between providing private tuition on the piano, guitar and voice, with primary school music tuition (National curriculum and group guitar and recorder tuition) in the boroughs of Southwark and Lewisham as well as choir direction of three primary school choirs. She is also Music Director at Rye Lane Chapel, in Peckham, South London. Thea's musical performances span over 30 years. She played for the late Hon Louise Bennett Coverley (Miss Lou) on her famous children's television programme Ring Ding aired in the 1970's by the then Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation. She won bronze and silver medals for both individual and duet performances between 1972 and 1974 in the annual Jamaica Music Festival and competed in the Kiwanis international piano competition held in Toronto, Canada in 1973 where she placed third. While attending UWI and Auburn University she performed in numerous concerts, coming second in the Auburn University Talent competition in 1980. She received the regional award for Best Instrumentalist Jamaican Female Musician for her work up to 2000; this was awarded in 2002. In July 2007, Thea hosted In the key of C, a musical celebration of her life where she led an invited audience on a journey through the musical and spiritual highlights of her life. Held at Rye Lane Chapel London, Thea played on her favourite piano, a full Steinway Grand. Her contemporary Gospel band Jasper plays by invitation at various venues throughout the UK. As a composer Thea has written over 100 contemporary gospel songs and instrumental pieces and published her first songbook entitled Songs for Life in 2008. She has released a number of albums since moving to the UK, the latest being an instrumental piano worship album entitled COME. To support vocal tuition Thea has also released a vocal instructional compact disc entitled 'Support the Sound'. Thea received a (one year) scholarship to the European Piano Teachers Association Piano performance teaching certificate course at the Purcell School in Hertfordshire and will complete this in June 2010. She has also been studying piano with Gwyn Pritchard Professor of composition at Trinity Guildhall, and piano pedagogue, in Forest Hills South London since August 2009. Thea has also received one year's guitar tuition from Gary Sandford, guitarist for Joe Jackson.