When and where was your first experience of music / singing?

When I was 10, I auditioned to be a chorister at Bristol Cathedral, I was a year late because I had moved halfway across the country just a month earlier, and therefore was slightly too old. I will always be thankful that Mark Lee saw my potential and gave me a chance accepting me to sing in the choir anyway, despite my age.

Where did you grow up? Did you have access to classical music?

Until I was about 9 I lived in Stevenage in Hertfordshire, I had always been a keen singer and had sung at home, my mother also taught me the recorder and I had guitar lessons although I was not very good at them because I struggle with coordination due to my dyspraxia and besides this, access to music education was difficult. But I always loved listening to classical music.

When I moved to Bristol I had the opportunity to become a chorister at Bristol Cathedral, which also means you become a part of Bristol Cathedral Choir school, which is a music specialist state school. They had a fantastic music department with orchestras and many choir ensembles and small instrumental ensembles. For example during my time there I was in: Gospel choir, Chamber choir, Boys choir, Brass Ensemble (I play Tuba), Symphony Orchestra, the noise, and percussion Ensemble. I always found it incredible that a school could manage to so much music with just the government funds given to state schools.

What has been your most memorable performance so far?

This year I sang in my first full production of Handel’s Messiah touring the Netherlands with The Koninklijk Conservatoire, Capella Amsterdam and the Orchestra of the 18th Century directed by Daniël Reuss. I found it to be a really exciting and emotional and I really enjoyed performing in different places, it reminded me of choir tours when I was young.

What would your dream performance be?

I think if this was a dream performance, I would love to be able to access my treble voice again, because no matter how exciting it is to explore a new voice it is very difficult to have a voice change after you work so hard and dedicate thousands of hours to develop it and have to start all over again.

What are you looking forward to with Genesis Sixteen?

I am mostly looking forward to forming an ensemble and working closely with people. I always find the social aspect of choirs and the bonds that are formed in a singing group fantastic. Although Concerts are always exciting, and exploring new music to add to my repertoire is a great prospect. I also am looking forward to the mentoring and learning from new conductors and professionals.

Outside of singing, what do you like to do in your spare time?

I have always played hockey, whilst living in the Netherlands I have joined my local hockey team MHC Voorhout and played weekly matches in all of South Holland. I also run and cycle. My sister is an athlete and so we frequently go for long runs and bike rides in the countryside of South Gloucestershire. I also love water sports and go on surfing holidays in Wales.
I also really like reading. Listening to audiobooks whilst running or out on a walk is by far my favourite pass-time.

Are you still in education? Are you in any other young artists schemes?

I am about to start my fourth year at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, after having done an Erasmus exchange in the Netherlands for the year of 2022-23. I was also an Ex Cathedra Scholar in 2020-21, where we aided in research projects on composers such as Gibbons, by singing recreations of different vocal arrangements.