We caught up with Hannah who is a hugely talented bass clarinetist and a finalist in this year’s ERSO Soloist of the Year competition.
What is your main occupation at the moment?
I graduated my masters in bass clarinet performance in 2020, and at the moment I’m woodwind & piano teaching, performing as much as I can and working at a yoga studio!
What made you choose to play your instrument and how old were you when you started?
I started clarinet at the age of 10, at the suggestion of my school music teacher – purely so I could join the school orchestra. I picked up the bass clarinet at age 18, and then went on to specialise on it for both my undergrad and masters degrees.
What made you choose the concerto that your will be playing?
My wonderful masters teacher Paolo De Gaspari showed me this concerto at the start of my masters degree, as he had recently performed its premiere. I then entered the concerto competition at trinity Laban in 2019, getting into the semi-final with it! It was one of the last things I did before lockdown.
What do you feel you would gain from the experience of winning this competition and playing your concerto with ERSO and Chris Stark?
I have never yet performed a concerto! As I’m still so early on in my professional career, it would be such a valuable experience for me – especially after my master’s was cut short due to Covid and how scarce performance opportunities have been.
ERSO 