Hailing from Hereford, I am a first year MMus Orchestral Performance student at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD). I am completing my bassoon studies with Welsh National Opera’s Stephen Marsden and BBC National Orchestral of Wales’ Martin Bowen. I also makes up a fifth of Melys Winds, a newly found Cardiff-based wind quintet made up of Masters student at RWCMD. I completed my BMus undergraduate degree at the University of Leeds, studying with Opera North’s David Baker. As part of the BMus programme, I spent my third year studying at the University of North Texas under the instruction of Professor Kathleen Reynolds. It was not only this invaluable musical experience and development in my playing, but also the opportunity to live and study in a different country that was fascinating and an immense boost to my self-confidence. It was truly an opportunity of a lifetime that would not have been possible without coming to study at Leeds. Whilst being in Leeds, I have had the pleasure of being a member of the Leeds University Union Music Society (LUUMS), playing in the Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, Symphonic Wind Orchestra (SWO) and Concert Band. I also took on the role as manager of SWO in my second year. By being on the committee for one of the many societies the university has to offer, I learnt a lot about what it takes to organise a musical ensemble. This has further prepared me for the outside world of the music industry, which I would not have gained without this experience. I have also been involved in the band for some of the other amazing performance societies, such as the Opera Society, Musical Theatre and Stage Musical Society productions. In February 2016 I had the privilege of stepping in at the last minute for the performance of Opera North’s Andrea Chenier, an opportunity I was immensely proud and grateful for. It was one of the most nerve-racking but exciting experiences I have ever had, and it reassured me that my true passion lies in orchestral playing. Whilst studying at the RWCMD, I hope to further her love of orchestral playing to a professional standard, with the dream of becoming an orchestral bassoonist.
Melys Winds were kind enough to perform at the funeral of a former staff member and donor. The ensemble chose fitting music, played with empathy and gave a particularly moving rendition of Elgar’s Chanson du Matin. We were grateful to the ensemble for their professionalism under emotional circumstances and their poignant performance.
The five young members of the Melys Wind Quintet responded well to the delicate poetry of Reynolds’ music, in an attractive and lucid performance of a piece whose seeming simplicity conceals much meticulous art.
