1. G ENETIC I NFLUENCE Copyright © 2007 June Grandwells. All rights reserved.

2. F AMILY T RADITION June's interest in philology, mythology, law and literature was influenced by her late father. He was descended from a landowning family which traced its roots back to the feudal era in Japan. From him, June has inherited her analytical mind as well as her indefatigability and altruism. Copyright © 2007 June Grandwells. All rights reserved. NextPrevious

3. June’s ancestors on her mother’s side include the Head of Palace Security for one of the Shogun dynasties, the Palace Doctor for one of the Emperors, a Rear Admiral, and a Director General of the Mint Bureau, and her extended family has continued their tradition of choosing the professions. At the same time, the family had, even before the fall of Japanese isolationism, embraced Occidental culture. June's deep admiration for all types of art was nurtured naturally by her mother, who is a highly qualified music teacher with 50 years’ experience. Copyright © 2007 June Grandwells. All rights reserved. NextPrevious

4. According to June, it was her parents who inculcated in her the perfectionism that viewed accomplishing a task 99 times out of 100 as merely fortuitous. Hence her constant striving for scrupulous exactness. She realised the importance of attaining a highly disciplined level of concentration while watching artists from Soviet countries perform ballet, figure-skating and gymnastics: they had total control over their personal emotions; they might otherwise have been distracted from the required artistic expression. Copyright © 2007 June Grandwells. All rights reserved. NextPrevious

5. A R USSIAN V EIN One of June's forebears is believed to have been a Russian, which may be why she has always been so fascinated by their art and education. Russian musicians train with great perseverance, reminding June of the ordeals endured by their people. “Russian music is incredibly rigorous, grand and romantic. It demands that the performer comprehend its emotional character, natural excitement and enthusiasm, and must also possess superior technique. The coexistence of such diverse elements has a powerful impact on the audience,” says June. Copyright © 2007 June Grandwells. All rights reserved. NextPrevious

6. She confesses to having pledged herself to learn to play a Russian piece like a Russian. She could not have been more delighted, therefore, when a pianist from Moscow, who accompanied her at her London recital, assured her that both her technique and interpretation made her Shostakovich sound genuinely Russian. NextPrevious Copyright © 2007 June Grandwells. All rights reserved. NextPrevious

7. REFERENCES: J UNE G RANDWELLS (2004) “Memoirs” Private Collection A NNABEL M ARTIN -B AH (2003) “Interview with June Grandwells” MisterPinEd Ltd K UMIKO A NDO (1998) 15 October 1998 Edition “Interview with June Grandwells Her Search for the Way to Convey the Beauty of the Suppression of Emotions in the East” Nichi-Ei Times (1991 to 2002) EDITED BY: E UGENE R YAN IMAGES: Antique Frames www.antiqueframes.eu Wallpaper www.wallpaperdirect.co.uk Photo by V. B ARANOVSKY (1999) “Jewels Production 1999” (Postcards) Mariinsky Theatre Wikipedia Photo Collection (Saint Petersburg) “The Mariinsky Theatre” “The Hermitage Museum Complex” “The Church of the Saviour on Blood” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Petersburg Copyright © 2007 June Grandwells. All rights reserved.