About Descending Thirds by Nicole Conn
Descending Thirds is an epic, emotionally sweeping novel set in the ruthless world of international classical piano competition — where genius, obsession, ambition, and forbidden love collide with devastating consequences.
At its center is Alexandra von Triessen, who finds herself caught between two extraordinary brothers — both composers. One, a charming and irresistible lothario and showman; the other, quietly certain — a genius savant who writes purely for the music and could care less about fame or glory. Alexandra is torn between them both in what unfolds as a searing triangular love story — devastating, sensual, intelligent, cinematic, and deeply human all at once.
Spanning decades and set against the lush, high-stakes backdrop of the fictional Ketterling International Piano Competition — inspired by the legendary Van Cliburn Competition — Descending Thirds explores the intoxicating cost of greatness, the burden of expectation, the fragility of family, and the dangerous intersection between love and artistic obsession. It’s the kind of novel readers disappear inside completely — emotionally immersive, sweeping in scope, and filled with twists that reframe everything that came before them.
But what makes Descending Thirds truly unique is the audiobook experience.
Narrated and produced by multi-award-winning narrator Mary Jane Wells, the audiobook is woven with nearly seventy pieces of classical music throughout the narration, creating something closer to an immersive cinematic experience than a traditional audiobook. Original compositions were written specifically for the novel by acclaimed composer and pianist Sally Bishop Melbourne, allowing listeners to hear music created “inside” the emotional world of the story itself.
The project also carries a deeply personal emotional core for author Nicole Conn, whose own mother was a classical pianist and teacher. Their shared love of classical music — and years spent together obsessively watching recordings of the Van Cliburn Competition — became the emotional DNA for the novel. Nicole completed the audiobook just days before losing her mother to end-stage Parkinson’s, making the project not only an artistic achievement, but also a profound love letter to the woman who first placed music into her soul.
Already drawing comparisons to sweeping prestige dramas like Legends of the Fall and Mozart in the Jungle, Descending Thirds is now being developed as a limited television mini-series.
For readers who crave emotionally intelligent storytelling, devastating romance, unforgettable characters, breathtaking twists, and stories where music itself becomes a living force — Descending Thirds is not simply a book. It’s an experience.
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