NEWS

As I'm sure with many people around the world, the current Covid-19 pandemic has completely changed my current way of living. I have been very upset to lose concerts in the coming months, especially my performance of the Elgar Concerto in the Anvil with the Basingstoke Symphony Orchestra. We managed to have one rehearsal and it was a joy to be able to make music with them, but sadly a concert was not to be - we are hoping to reschedule in 2021! I am endeavouring to use the time wisely through practice during lockdown, and once concerts are confirmed in the diary and are able to go ahead then I will update the events page as soon as possible. Stay safe and keep the music alive!

In what became my last concert before lockdown, it was a pleasure to join Sheku and Guy in a cello ensemble performance in the Queen Elizabeth Hall.  

It was a joy to spend a week in the stunning surroundings of Malvern College, away from distractions, to work on some new repertoire at Hannah Roberts' summer masterclass series. Not only did we work hard at our individual repertoire, but also had fun in morning technique classes and evening cello ensemble. 

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Photo credit: Ellie Winter

In a project that joined the Juilliard School with the Royal Academy Symphony Orchestra, we performed Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, alongside the Britten Violin Concerto and a premiere by Anna Thorvaldsdottir at Snape Maltings and in the Royal Albert Hall for the BBC Proms. It was a privilege to meet and work with the Juilliard students.

It was a very happy day celebrating my graduation from my Masters. I'm very pleased to be graduating with a Distinction in my MA, and a DipRAM for an outstanding final recital. 

Returning to my home county to perform Haydn's C major Cello Concerto with GSO was a real highlight of the year. This was my fourth time working on a concerto with conductor Glyn Oxley, and it was a real privilege to work with local musicians, many of whom I have known for a number of years, including both my parents! 

I felt very privileged to join the Knussen Chamber Orchestra in a concert that celebrated the life and works of the great composer, conductor and mentor, Oliver Knussen. We performed at Aldeburgh Festival with works by Schubert, Britten, Takemitsu, and Knussen himself. 

It was a fantastic experience to perform Elgar's Cello Concerto three times in the autumn of 2018, with separate orchestras. The two in my home county were in Tewkesbury Abbey with the Philomusica of Gloucestershire and Worcestershire, and in Stroud with the Stroud Symphony Orchestra. The final performance was in St. Gabriel's Church, Pimlico, with the Fantastia Orchestra under conductor Tom Fetherstonhaugh.  

The Cowbridge Music Festival gave me the chance to meet and work with some musicians who inspired me for a week of chamber music in the heart of Wales. It was a privilege to perform the Mendelssohn C minor Trio with Tom Poster and Amarins Wierdsma, and the Kodaly Duo with Elena Urioste.

Returning to Japan only a few weeks after my trip to Kyoto, I was looking forward to exploring some new areas of this wonderful country. Students from the Tokyo University of the Arts arrived into London and we began rehearsing for our programme of Beethoven and Mozart. The first part of the tour began in the UK: we played a concert in Duke's Hall at the Royal Academy of Music in London, and then travelled to Oxford to perform in the Sheldonian Theatre.

We then flew to Japan and travelled to Koriyama where we performed to a packed audience in the Koriyama Concert Hall. Still recovering from jetlag, we took the bullet train through stunning countryside to Tokyo. We performed two concerts in Tokyo: firstly in the Sogakudo Concert Hall in Tokyo University of the Arts, and then finally in the famous Suntory Hall. 

I also felt very privileged that a few of the organisers from the Kyoto International Music Student's Festival came along to see me perform in Tokyo. Having been to Japan twice in just a few months, I hope that I will have the opportunity to return in the future and reunite with many of the new musical colleagues and friends that I met there. 

Travelling to Japan for the first time, I am deeply grateful for the invitation to perform in Kyoto at the International Music Student's Festival. Along with pianist Richard Gowers, I performed a solo programme which included Schumann's Adagio and Allegro and Chopin's Introduction and Polonaise Brillante to a capacity audience in the Alti Hall, Kyoto. Meeting student's from conservatoires across the globe was extremely rewarding along with exploring the culture of Japan. The festival culminated in an orchestral concert which celebrated how close all the participants had become. 

I was very excited to be joining forces with Katie Lodge (trumpet) to present a concert that was totally accessible to people living with dementia. Having the concert in the Wigmore Hall was particularly special and made it even more of an exciting opportunity. We played a programme that encompassed a large variety of styles and periods of music. Big thanks to our pianists, Soli Nallaseth and Luca Gliozi!

The Cordis Quartet performed a varied programme at The Cut Arts Centre as part of the Halesworth Arts Festival, to a packed audience. 

Programme:

Mozart - String Quartet No.15, K.421

Beethoven - String Quartet No.11 Op.95

Tippett - String Quartet No.2

I performed Tippett's 2nd String Quartet at the British Chamber Series at the Royal Academy of Music with the Cordis Quartet. It was also an honour to perform the premiere of Edmund Finnis Hymn After Byrd having worked with the composer on the work, and to have him there at the performance. 

Performing as principal cello in the Royal Academy Symphony Orchestra, I very much enjoyed playing Shostakovich's 8th Symphony, under conductor Sir Mark Elder. A recording of the third and fourth movements of the performance can be found by clicking the button below.   

I was very excited to have been awarded "very highly commended" (runner up) in this year's May Mukle Prize at the Royal Academy of Music. I performed the Frank Bridge Cello Sonata with pianist, Virgile Van Essche.

Having the opportunity to perform for and get the feedback from such a fantastic musician such as Steven Isserlis was a real privilege. I performed the first movement of Haydn's D major Concerto in the David Josefowitz Recital Hall at the Royal Academy of Music, and since he has just performed and recorded the works, I was able to get so much out of the masterclass, both technically and musically.