My parents themselves aren’t particularly musical; however, my siblings and I were always encouraged to express ourselves and explore our interests. As a result, I began learning the flute and recorder at primary school. I first encountered the bassoon by chance when visiting a possible secondary school and was absolutely entranced by it. Unable to forget about this previously unknown sound to me, I discovered that my local music service offered a scholarship subsiding lessons and instrument rental for endangered instruments. After a childhood of doing nearly every after-school activity possible, from karate to ballet, as well as county wind bands and orchestras, the bassoon slowly but surely took over as my favourite obsession.
My parents themselves aren’t particularly musical; however, my siblings and I were always encouraged to express ourselves and explore our interests. As a result, I began learning the flute and recorder at primary school. I first encountered the bassoon by chance when visiting a possible secondary school and was absolutely entranced by it. Unable to forget about this previously unknown sound to me, I discovered that my local music service offered a scholarship subsiding lessons and instrument rental for endangered instruments. After a childhood of doing nearly every after-school activity possible, from karate to ballet, as well as county wind bands and orchestras, the bassoon slowly but surely took over as my favourite obsession.
When it came to deciding what I wanted to study at university I debated for a long time with the idea of a more “traditional” subject like English Literature but ultimately took the plunge as I knew that music was my true passion. I was accepted onto the Joint Course at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) and University of Manchester, subsequently spending the next four years running between the two buildings and completing my time in Manchester in 2019. During my time at RNCM, I learnt with Dave Chatwin, Gretha Tuls and Roberto Giaccaglia and contrabassoon with Bill Anderson. In my final year at RNCM I joined my wind quintet, Festivo Winds. Up until then I hadn’t been able to fully delve into lots of chamber music and joining a busy quintet gave me so many amazing opportunities, such as playing at the Bridgewater Hall and Buxton International Festival. One of our most memorable performances was a concert of new compositions in Manchester Museum staged underneath the skeleton of a whale. Another was playing for an art installation piece by Yoko Ono, which involved us being slowly wrapped in bandages as we played!
For my Masters degree I returned to my hometown of London and attended the Royal College of Music for two years. Whilst there I learnt with Sarah Burnett, Joost Bosdijk, Andrea de Flammineis and contrabassoon with Martin Field. Living and studying in two such vibrant cities as Manchester and London has provided a wealth of exciting experiences, playing with orchestras including the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House and chamber orchestras such as Covent Garden Sinfonia, as well as developing my chamber playing and interest in music outreach.
EDUCATION
Royal College of Music
London, UK
Royal Northern College of Music
Manchester, University of Manchester
OTHER PROJECTS
Festivo Winds
QUICKFIRE QUESTIONS
What is your favourite piece of music and why do you love it?
I find this an impossible question to answer as it changes all the time. The Rite of Spring is a piece that still sends chills up my spine after the hundredth time hearing it, and I’m currently listening to the Danish String Quartet’s album Woodworks on a loop. I’m also devoted to Laura Marling’s music.
What do you do with your time when you’re not playing music?
I’m a keen runner, and also recently got a proper road bike for the first time so enjoy trying to get out and about in (and out of!) London, often in search of great coffee shops and baked goods. When not doing that, I love knitting and adding to my ever-growing wardrobe of knitwear.
