I joined the Cathedral Choir in my first week of university, in September 2016, after a friend recommended it on the basis that I was Catholic and musical. I would not have described myself as a singer at the time — I had studied bassoon, piano and organ at school, and sung as an alto in the school choir, but nothing more. Being offered a scholarship came as a surprise, and part of it, I was told, would be building confidence and technique alongside experience. Now in my fourth year with the choir, that has held true: I call myself a singer without hesitation, and have since sung with the Bristol University Singers, the Bristol University Chamber Choir, Early Music Wells, the Melgas Ensemble, the Fitzhardinge Consort, Bath Camerata and others. I have appeared as a soloist with the Bristol Phoenix Choir, and as soprano soloist for Vaughan Williams' Pastoral Symphony with the Bristol University Symphony Orchestra, and have taken roles in several operas, including in Bristol University Operatic Society's production of The Cunning Little Vixen and Opera in a Box's production of Verdi's Macbeth.
The choir's time commitment, compared with other choral scholarships, is relatively modest, which I have appreciated. Friday night rehearsals are often enjoyable in themselves, particularly combined with a trip to the pub afterwards, and the scholars have become some of my closest friends at university.
The choir's repertoire covers a wide range and includes a good deal of polyphony, which I have come to value. Sight-reading features regularly, though pieces recur often enough that this becomes more manageable over time. Early on, I made a habit of practising between the Friday rehearsal and Sunday's service; my sight-reading has since improved enough, and my familiarity with the repertoire grown enough, that I no longer need to as much.
Alongside the choir, I play bassoon for several orchestras, including the Bristol University Symphony Orchestra, the Bristol University Chamber Orchestra, New Bristol Sinfonia and the Brandon Hill Chamber Orchestra. I majored in performance for my undergraduate degree and was awarded the Sir Thomas Beecham Scholarship for Outstanding Orchestral Playing. I have played for productions with the Bristol University Operatic Society and Love Opera, and was Musical Director for Love Opera's Hansel and Gretel in November 2018. I also held two committee roles in my final undergraduate year: Chamber Music Co-ordinator for Bristol University Music Society, and Social Secretary for Bristol University Operatic Society.
I was Organ Scholar at Clifton Cathedral from 2018 to 2019, accompanying the weekly Junior Choir rehearsals and services — an opportunity I valued, particularly working with the children.
The choral scholarship has shaped my musical experience at university considerably, opening opportunities and friendships I would not otherwise have had.