About Me

Born in 2000, I have neuro fibromatosis type 1. At the age of two, I was diagnosed with an optic nerve glioma. Although I consequently underwent my first course of chemotherapy, (I had my second aged eight), I lost my sight completely.

I studied A Level Latin, Spanish, French, English Literature, Philosophy and Extended Project AS and Grade 8 Music theory. I will be studying Composition at the Royal Northern College of Music in September 2018. I then wish to pursue a career as a composer and possibly a musicologist.

Following a couple of auditions, in 2015-2016, I was accepted to join the Aldeburgh Young Musicians scheme, specialising in Composition. This is a highly competitive scheme and a Centre for Advanced Training. In 2016, I had to relinquish my place in the scheme as I received offers from all the London Junior Conservatoires I applied to and I joined the Royal College of Music Junior Department in 2016 where I studied Composition as First Study and Recorder and Flute as Second Study until June 2018. There, I studied Composition with Simon Speare. (supported by a very generous Humphrey Searle scholarship, for which I am extremely grateful) and Recorder with Sarah Humphrys. (www.ensemblemeridiana.com, www.fontanella.co.uk.) In 2016, I was successful in gaining a place as a composer with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain until 2018 whilst also being a composer with The Britten Sinfonia Academy between 2017 and 2018.

I was a Chorister in the Girls’ Choir of Great St Mary’s University Church in Cambridge between 2009 until 2014 and I sang in Kings Junior Voices Choir between 2009 and 2015. In 2017, I joined the Royal College of Music Junior Department Chamber Choir. I have also been a member of the National Youth Recorder Orchestra since 2012. In November 2015, I received my first commission to write a piece for the November Cambridge Music Festival in which my piece, Phantom, was performed at the Cambridge Guildhall. You can find a recording of Phantom in the Composer's section. In April 2016, I was commissioned to work with the Britten Sinfonia and was asked to compose a piece live on stage during one of their concerts in Cambridge. I received a third commission in November 2016 by the Cambridge Composers’ network and my piece Reverie was performed in Jesus College Chapel, Cambridge, as part of the November Cambridge Music Festival. During an NYO spring residency in April 2017, I wrote Patient Birds for the Brass and wind section of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. You can find the score of Patient Birds in the Composer section as well as other pieces I wrote during my time as a composer with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. As a result of my winning the Classic FM/Royal Philarmonic Society 25th Birthday Commission prize in April 2017, I was commissioned to write a piece for some of the musicians from the Royal Liverpool Philarmonic Orchestra. Elegy for Aylan was premiered at St George’s Hall in Liverpool by Ensemble 10/10 consisting of members of the RLPO and broadcast on Classic FM last December. You can find a recording of Elegy for Aylan in the composer section as well as the score. In June 2017, I was declared the overall winner of the Royal College of Music Junior Department Composition Prize and in June 2018, I was awarded the Humphrey Searle Composition Prize. In June 2018, my commissioned solo cello piece for Oliver Coates by Kammer Klang was performed at Café Oto in London. You can find a score in the composer section and a recording will follow soon. I am a winner of the 2018 BBC Proms Inspire Competition with Elegy for Aylan which will receive its second performance on 22nd August 2018 by the Aurora Orchestra as part of the BBC Proms Series.

Here you will find a recent article written about me in the Amber Trust website. I am extremely grateful to the Amber Trust for their very generous ongoing financial support over the past 7 years with my recorder lessons.

If you would like to contact me then please click here to send me an email. You can also find me on Twitter, YouTube, and Encore.

You can now find an article about me on Wikipedia. Have a look at the page here.