Biography

My musical journey started in primary school where I had a strong curiosity for music and learning to play an instrument. I experimented with several different instruments, but none of them felt right for me. Around the age of ten, I joined my local brass band, inspired by my sister who had been a member for several years. They initially gave me a cornet, but I (apparently) had trouble focusing and sitting still, so they switched me to percussion instead. I had a blast running around the section and playing everything I could lay my hands on. It seemed like I had finally found my calling!

I spent the next few years learning to be a percussionist, mainly by watching other members of the section and asking a lot of questions. In 2010 I was given the wonderful opportunity to play at the Proms in the Royal Albert Hall with the BBC Concert Orchestra, performing a new composition by Graham Fitkin. This experience cemented my love of music and gave me the motivation to pursue percussion as a career. Reflecting on this project since has opened my eyes to the importance of outreach and educational projects and how transformative they can be for young musicians.

In 2017 I moved to London to study orchestral percussion at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where I spent five years completing first my undergraduate and then postgraduate degrees under the tutelage of David Corkhill, Kevin Hathway, Julian Warburton, Rachel Gledhill, and Richard Benjafield. During this time, I had far too many fantastic opportunities and experiences to list. A few of my personal highlights include a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 in the Barbican under Takuo Yuasa, performing as a timpanist alongside the Academy of Ancient Music, and the final project I organised as a student; a performance of Iannis Xenakis’s Persephassa for percussion sextet.

Alongside my passion for orchestral music, I’m a huge fan of contemporary music, especially the works of John Cage, Steve Reich, and Iannis Xenakis. I recently formed a percussion ensemble (the Om Ensemble) with the goal of turning this passion into a more active part of my career.