When did you apply for Sinfonia Smith Square, and what drew you to it?  

I applied for the 2023–24 Fellowship. I’d been interested in the orchestra before graduating as the concept really appealed to me: you work together as an orchestra, learn repertoire, and get a taste of the professional world. I also knew quite a few people who had done it before – some are now colleagues of mine in Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.  

For me, it was also a decision point: do I do a postgraduate degree, or Sinfonia Smith Square’s Fellowship? A postgrad meant lessons, but the Sinfonia offered the experience of actually working in a professional environment, taking part in projects, and gaining a greater insight into the music industry. Once I was offered a place in the Fellowship, it felt like an easy choice.  

What have you been up to since the Fellowship?  

Straight after, I was offered a place in the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s Future Firsts scheme, and then as of May 2025, I started a contract with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra as one of their tutti viola players.  

Outside of that, I’m still performing with the Millbank Quartet, which we formed during our Fellowship year. That’s more project-based now, since all of us have hectic schedules! 

What’s it like being part of Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, and what does a typical week look like for you?  

Honestly, it’s great. It’s such a wonderful orchestra, full of amazing players who are super friendly. I feel like I’ve got a bit of a family there, which is really nice. It’s inspiring to work with incredible soloists and conductors, and I’m learning so much music while playing at a high standard. 

In terms of schedule, during the main season, rehearsals are usually Monday to Wednesday at the Lighthouse in Poole, and we also perform regularly across the Southwest, including at Exeter, Portsmouth, and Southampton. Sometimes we do weekend concerts, like the BSO Pops, which is really fun. Between May and July we also do two operas. This year we performed La Traviata and Die Fledermaus, which was brilliant.  

How did Sinfonia Smith Square’s Fellowship prepare you for a career in music? 

It gave me a chance to work through a lot of repertoire and get a feel for orchestral life. At Sinfonia Smith Square, we generally rehearsed 10–5, Monday to Wednesday, and then had a concert on Thursday. This is very similar to the schedule I now have with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.

During my Fellowship year, we performed Brahms’ Second Symphony a few times, and so when I later player it with the LPO and Bournemouth, I already felt confident and prepared. Beyond the music, it was great to build friendships in Sinfonia Smith Square. The social side was just as valuable as the professional experience.

What was your highlight moment in the Fellowship?  

Performing Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante with Tayfun Bomboz and conductor, Sian Edwards, was really special. I’d played it with my best friend before leaving music college, so to revisit it was wonderful.

We also performed Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto at Snape Maltings. It was emotional looking out and seeing all my friends in the orchestra really giving it their all, loving the experience, and knowing that we were all making good music together.

Do you have any advice for people wanting to embark on a musical career?  

If you want to pursue music, it’s natural to worry about being self-employed and not having financial security. But you’ve got to trust the process, work hard, and things will work out.  When I was getting towards the end of my undergraduate degree, I was worried as I didn’t know what I was going to do. I thought I’d have to do a postgraduate degree, but knew I couldn’t fund it myself. And then Sinfonia Smith Square came along. And then when it came to the end of the Fellowship, again I was worried about being unemployed and having no money, but LPO Future Firsts came in, and then that gave way to Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.  

 Do the hard work and graft early so that later when it does get busy and life gets in the way, you won’t have to stress as much.