This series shows the ups and downs of me having made a commitment to sound. I have spent many years studying the cello, but very little time has been dedicated to the sound I create and how I create it. Because of this I want to make sound, and not success, my new obsession. The …
Continue reading A Commitment to Sound 1- Motivated by What?
It has been unnervingly easy to go about living, practicing and exploring music without really listening to what I create. I have become complacent, getting by with what is 'good enough' and what might sound impressive. My practice has become a frustrating mass of confusion towards a foggy goal of 'perfect'. Unaware of what I …
Trio Sōra's recital at St John’s Smith Square on 16th November 2017 marked the start of their UK tour with eclectic performances of Haydn, Kagel and Chausson. The 2017 Parkhouse Award winners are three female musicians who met during their studies at the Paris Conservatoire and are set to take over much of the UK classical …
Continue reading REVIEW: Trio Sōra at St John’s Smith Square
Saturday 13th January was my first experience of the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle. One thing and another sadly prevented me from hearing the first half of the concert's Genesis Suite, but luckily arrived in time to hear the incomparable Concerto for Orchestra by the Hungarian composer Bela Bartok. I …
Continue reading Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra- A Poetic Response
Having started the cello much later to most other musicians, I found myself battling the fear of performing at the same time as facing an insecure self-image that often comes with being a 12 year old. I believe this made the issue far greater than it would've been, had I been performing at an earlier …
Strings are to a musician like ballet shoes are to a dancer. Just as each dancer is very different and requires different size and softness of shoes, every cello is vastly different and requires different strings to compliment the resonance of the instrument. My cello has an especially bright and powerful quality, especially on …
Following a hectic final term at school, my return home last Friday was greeted with the excitement of both the women and men's Wimbledon finals. Throughout the whole of the tournament this year, I couldn't help but compare the lives of tennis players with our lives as musicians, and how tennis may be revealing …
I believe it is now widely accepted, or at least should be, that the soul of great music and a great artist is not solely created in the practice room. We use the practice room as a place to learn how to interpret a composers emotions though our instruments. The practice room is used to …
Continue reading “Play it like something you hear down by the river”
I'm aware my blog has been somewhat neglected for a few weeks so I wanted to post a quick thought whilst travelling back from London today. I've been on the Stop Trident CND march which was awe inspiring! It always excites me to see just how many people are willing to stand up to the …
Continue reading Why do performers find composition difficult?
I have always hated the sound of nothing. I grind my teeth in silences and put music on as soon as I am by myself. I am scared about what might happen if I am left alone with myself. Inside my mind, what might be waiting for me? I think I'd rather avoid it than …
