What is your main occupation at the moment?
I am a second year, scholarship student at the Royal Academy of Music, specialising in bassoon and contra bassoon.
What made you choose to play your instrument and how old were you when you started?
I played piano and saxophone in a jazz ensemble and wind orchestra respectively but I wanted to try playing in a full size classical orchestra. The head of my local music service suggested I try learning bassoon. I was 15 at the time.
What made you choose the concerto that your will be playing?
I love the variety of characters and the humour Mozart incorporates into this concerto! It gives a performer so much scope to play! Additionally, out of all the solo bassoon repertoire, the second movement is one of the pieces I most enjoy playing! The opportunity to perform it with an orchestra really excites me!
What do you feel you would gain from the experience of winning this competition and playing your concerto with ERSO and Chris Stark?
As a bassoonist and contrabassoonist, the role I play in an orchestral sound is often a supporting one. However the bassoon has so much to offer in terms of character and colour as a solo instrument! I think winning this competition and playing the concerto with ERSO would be a fantastic opportunity for me to develop as an individual artist. Performing this piece would allow me to communicate something more uniquely personal.
ERSO 