What is your main occupation at the moment?
I’m currently a postgraduate student at the Royal Academy of Music, studying horn with Mike Thompson, Richard Watkins, and Kira Doherty, and conducting with Sian Edwards.
What made you choose to play your instrument and how old were you when you started?
I started playing the horn when I was 8 through a first access scheme in my primary school – it was a choice between horn and trombone and for some reason the horn just seemed to speak to me!
What made you choose the concerto that your will be playing?
The four Mozart horn concertos really are at the core of every horn player’s musical life – so often, they become exam and audition pieces for us, but what they make me think of more than anything is my memories of listening to Dennis Brain’s recordings on a CD I had growing up. I think the 2nd concerto has a particular vibrancy and cheekiness to it that reminds me so much of Mozart’s operas, so I’m really excited to bring that side of horn playing to life alongside ERSO in the final round.
What do you feel you would gain from the experience of winning this competition and playing your concerto with ERSO and Chris Stark?
Working with ERSO since September as Assistant Conductor has been such a brilliant experience both musically and personally for me – I’ve learnt so much and really enjoyed all of the projects I’ve participated in so far, from children’s orchestral workshops to full symphonic concerts. Having the opportunity to perform as a concerto soloist with ERSO would be such a privilege and make my time working alongside Chris and the orchestra even more special – I’d love the opportunity to continue my musical development with ERSO in this way!
ERSO 