My first instrument was the violin when I was seven years old, but I didn’t exactly love it; I didn’t understand that you needed to practise to improve, and I used to do silly things like forget my violin, my bow, and my music. I was a really terrible student and gave up quickly to start learning the piano. I progressed well, but I vividly remember feeling- even as a ten year old child- that I had started playing too late to become a professional concert pianist. So I began learning the bassoon for all the wrong reasons; it looked fancy and I knew that you could start playing it quite late. I was almost 15 years old at that time. I say this all flippantly, partly because I want any young people reading this to know that they can still become musicians even if they had a somewhat quirky start to their musical life, but partly because this is all extremely ironic, given how deeply I care about music and playing the bassoon now. Even from my time playing the violin there was something I loved very much about music. I had an incredibly strong gut feeling that this is what I needed to do with the rest of my life. I didn’t feel that it was realistic or remotely feasible, but I knew that I desperately wanted to be a musician.
My first instrument was the violin when I was seven years old, but I didn’t exactly love it; I didn’t understand that you needed to practise to improve, and I used to do silly things like forget my violin, my bow, and my music. I was a really terrible student and gave up quickly to start learning the piano. I progressed well, but I vividly remember feeling- even as a ten year old child- that I had started playing too late to become a professional concert pianist. So I began learning the bassoon for all the wrong reasons; it looked fancy and I knew that you could start playing it quite late. I was almost 15 years old at that time. I say this all flippantly, partly because I want any young people reading this to know that they can still become musicians even if they had a somewhat quirky start to their musical life, but partly because this is all extremely ironic, given how deeply I care about music and playing the bassoon now. Even from my time playing the violin there was something I loved very much about music. I had an incredibly strong gut feeling that this is what I needed to do with the rest of my life. I didn’t feel that it was realistic or remotely feasible, but I knew that I desperately wanted to be a musician.
After starting the bassoon and falling absolutely in love with the instrument, I began to practise more thoughtfully. I played in Westmorland Youth Orchestra and, as a result of many stars aligning, I was able to study at Junior Royal Northern College of Music for 9 months. During this time, I had two absolutely fantastic teachers; Catherine Scott and Rebekah Abramski. I then auditioned for the Royal College of Music, and have spent a delightful six years there (with equally fantastic teachers).
My aim is to become an orchestral player, but I also love chamber music, solo work, and outreach. I freelance with various orchestras, am a member of the Tailleferre Ensemble, and have recently been recording some CDs bassoon quartets for Hyperion Records. When not playing the bassoon, I can still almost certainly be found doing something musical; I particularly enjoy playing a cheap eBay cello with flowers, stars, and a purple hedgehog painted on it. I’m very enthusiastic about it, but it sounds horrific and my professional cellist landlord is really very generous not to have thrown it out of a window... Aside from this, I love going outdoor swimming in the Thames- it’s really not as cold and dirty as you would expect!
EDUCATION
Royal College of Music
London, UK
QUICKFIRE QUESTIONS
What’s your most memorable moment as a musician?
There have been some lovely moments. Probably playing with the BBC Symphony Orchestra as part of their Pathways scheme. I have dreamt of playing with them since the moment I picked up the bassoon, and if I could go back in time and tell young Amy that she would one day be experiencing this, I know she/I would be absolutely over the moon with excitement and very literally bouncing around the room with delight.
Tell us something about yourself that might surprise us.
Ooh, a couple of things: My friends are always quite surprised to hear that I enjoy watching horror movies, although maybe slightly less now than when I was younger. It doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of my personality. And my favourite; I started playing the bassoon on Friday 13th December 2013, which is probably the unluckiest date possible during my lifetime. I’m not especially superstitious but I appreciate the irony. Well, hopefully it’s irony...
OTHER PROJECTS
Tailleferre Ensemble
