My Royal College of Music Newsletter

My three month silence on WordPress has not been for lack of things to write about but more from the lack of time.

There are several hackneyed phrases I could use to describe my first semester at the Royal College of Music but why be dull? The building is elegant, almost regal and when various alumni – such as Benjamin Britten, Herbert Howells, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Malcolm Martineau and Roger Vignoles – are mentioned I become immediately focused on the certainty of my purpose in life, to perform opera and lieder around the world while potentially sacrificing other joys of life.

October saw me selected by the head of the vocal department to sing for a panel from The Josephine Baker Trust; a charity which supports ‘talented singers in the early years of their singing careers’. I brought a selection of Handel and Mozart but also chose an amorous Scandinavian lieder by Sibelius because I couldn’t resist. Later that week, I found out that I had been chosen by the trust to be supported for my two years at RCM through bookings for concerts around the UK. This coming March, I have my first booking through the trust for Handel’s Israel in Egypt with The Waverley Singers in Aldershot.

In November, I picked up my first opera role as Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni alongside a cast of fabulous singers from The Royal College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. It’s lucky that we all had such a sense of camaraderie; as every weekend we found ourselves bundled into the back of a car whizzing west to Shropshire where we were warmly welcomed by The Ludlow Orchestra and conductor Thomas Payne. Between sleepy banter at 2am on the way back to London and incredibly tasty food courtesy of the orchestra’s secretary, it really was a splendid opportunity. I found friends and connections, a love for Zerlina’s boisterous attitude to life and a chance to sing in The Ludlow Assembly Rooms which make any concert such a cosy one.

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As December rolled in, life at RCM seemed to wait for no man. I was honoured to be asked to represent the college in an ensemble at their annual fundraising event Soirée D’Or held every year at The Victoria & Albert Museum in Kensington. Soirée D’Or welcomes various friends in business and donors of RCM to come and bid on prizes to raise money for scholarships at the college. We were asked to perform a selection of Christmas carols in the sparkliest dresses we could find and it was the most glamorous Christmas carol event I’ve ever been to, not to mention the how exciting it is to walk around The V&A exhibitions with no one else there!

My beautiful Soiree D’Or colleagues, Rosanna Cooper (left) and Laura Hocking (right).

A few days before heading back to Scotland, I was asked by my lovely colleague, Jennifer Coleman to sing in the chorus of Handel’s Theodora, a chamber production put on by the RCM Student Union in The Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall. Although we didn’t have a lot of time to prepare, it was a wild success and a lovely way to finish off the semester.

The real cherry on top of the cake came on the 8th of December however, when I was asked by the college to perform Christmas carols again with a different ensemble; however, this time I would be singing in aid of the Starlight Foundation in Downing Street! At midday, all wrapped up and buzzing, we found ourselves squeezing past tourists through the Downing Street security gate where we met many a handsome policeman and walked along those well worn cobbles that have felt the weight of many a great prime minister and monarch. We were to provide a Christmas carol ‘backing track’ as many children processed into No. 11 for the Starlight children’s Christmas party. The Starlight Foundation grants wishes to seriously or terminally ill children and it touched the heart of all of us singing to see so many children excited by the party and dancing to the carols.

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This semester has been better than I could have imagined. I’m so lucky to have such a lovely and supportive year group and must thank my new singing teacher, Rosa Mannion who continues to amaze me every week, to my wonderful Aunt without whom I wouldn’t be studying at The Royal College of Music and to my loving family who always motivate me to keep working towards my dream. I feel so happy and can’t wait for next year. Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and happy holidays.