Betania Johnny

My name is Betania Johnny, and I have graduated with a first-class Bachelor of Music (Honours) Degree in Violin Performance at the Royal College of Music as a Kirby Laing Foundation Scholar, studying the violin with Professor Ani Schnarch. Previously, I studied at the RCM’s Junior Department while attending James Allen’s Girls’ School on a Major Music Scholarship. I have loved performing for as long as I can remember, whether that is as a soloist, a chamber musician or an orchestral musician! One of the most gratifying experiences as a musician is being able to perform alongside studying, because it is truly a manifestation of all of the practice and hard work that goes on behind the scenes. Some of my favourite orchestral performances have been with the Chineke! Orchestra, which includes the first European tour that I performed in in 2022, in which the orchestra was conducted by Kevin-John Edusei as well as a performance at the Brit Awards with grime artist Stormzy last year. I was also chosen to perform in the King’s Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle in a string quartet on behalf of the Royal College of Music. However, one of the biggest changes to my musical life was taking part in the RCM’s Exchange Programme. I successfully gained a place to study as an Exchange Student at the Manhattan School of Music for a semester in Autumn 2023 and I couldn’t have had a better experience! I studied violin with Chloe Kiffer during my time there, and I got to immerse myself in orchestral projects, take part in new chamber groups, and perform with jazz musicians! MSM has a great jazz programme alongside their classical programme in which the musicians often collaborate with each other on orchestral projects! I also got to discover new repertoire as I performed a suite by Heitor Villa-Lobos in a violin-soprano duo, and a violin-flute-piano trio written by Jacques Ibert. Performing with Chineke! over the last few years has made me much more conscious of the repertoire that I perform, and consequently, I have now become passionate about discovering repertoire that isn’t regularly performed in the canon. If I could give one piece of advice to aspiring musicians, whether or not you are a professional, it would be to always be curious and conscious of the repertoire that you surround yourself with and to always have the curiosity to search beyond the existing pieces with which you are already familiar.