I began playing the viola when I was 15 after having studied violin from the age of 7. I quickly fell in love with the viola’s rich and vibrant tone and switched to learning the viola as my main instrument. Although I had a keen interest in music at the time, I decided to study Biology at university - at Imperial College London. I really enjoyed studying biology, and in particular neuroscience, the subject which I specialised in during my final year. I was fortunate to be on a scholarship for instrumental lessons at the neighbouring Royal College of Music which, on top of playing in the University’s symphony orchestra, allowed me to keep up my viola playing during my studies.
After I graduated from Imperial College in 2019, I decided to pursue my long-term aspiration of music to see where it could take me. I enrolled at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester in 2020 for a Masters in Viola performance, which I completed in the Autumn of 2022. I remained in Manchester after graduating and started working as a freelance violist for the year that followed. This included playing with numerous orchestras in the North of England including The Hallé, Manchester Camerata and The Royal Northern Sinfonia. Now, as a new member of Southbank Sinfonia for their 2023/24 season, I am very excited to get to know lots of new orchestral repertoire and to perform regularly, as well as get to know many like-minded musicians!
I began playing the viola when I was 15 after having studied violin from the age of 7. I quickly fell in love with the viola’s rich and vibrant tone and switched to learning the viola as my main instrument. Although I had a keen interest in music at the time, I decided to study Biology at university - at Imperial College London. I really enjoyed studying biology, and in particular neuroscience, the subject which I specialised in during my final year. I was fortunate to be on a scholarship for instrumental lessons at the neighbouring Royal College of Music which, on top of playing in the University’s symphony orchestra, allowed me to keep up my viola playing during my studies.
After I graduated from Imperial College in 2019, I decided to pursue my long-term aspiration of music to see where it could take me. I enrolled at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester in 2020 for a Masters in Viola performance, which I completed in the Autumn of 2022. I remained in Manchester after graduating and started working as a freelance violist for the year that followed. This included playing with numerous orchestras in the North of England including The Hallé, Manchester Camerata and The Royal Northern Sinfonia. Now, as a new member of Southbank Sinfonia for their 2023/24 season, I am very excited to get to know lots of new orchestral repertoire and to perform regularly, as well as get to know many like-minded musicians!
EDUCATION
Royal Northern College of Music
Manchester, UK
Imperial College London
London, UK
QUICKFIRE QUESTIONS
How would you persuade someone who has never heard ‘classical music’ before to come with you to a concert?
Hopefully they wouldn’t need too much persuasion but perhaps I would start by taking them to see a large symphonic work like a Mahler symphony as it’s very exciting to watch!
What do you do with your time when you’re not playing music?
I’m usually out walking/hiking somewhere in nature, or else meeting up with friends.
