ALUMNI STORIES: 'TELLING STORIES THROUGH MUSIC'

What first drew you to study at Oxford, and how has your time there shaped you? Is there anything you particularly miss?

September 2025 marked the 30th anniversary of my first piano lesson; playing and finding out about music, understanding it was always something that fascinated me (and still does). I was interested in the course at Oxford as it provided an opportunity to study music through history, to explore it from different vantage points, and this is something I still get to do today. My degree also taught me to work smart and to use time efficiently, something which is vital for work and life.

I’d have to say the thing I miss about being a student at Oxford is the community and seeing my friends every day – it takes us a bit more organisation to all get together nowadays, but it’s something we still do (and think we always will), which is a testament to the friendships made there.

You’ve been involved with Oxford University Society (OUS) Liverpool and have mentored students at Magdalen College. What motivates you to stay connected to the Oxford community, and what have you gained from it?

Oxford was one of the first places I connected with other people and felt seen in terms of what I was passionate about. It was a rollercoaster of an experience, and Magdalen was particularly supportive. I’ll be forever grateful for that and think it’s important in whatever way you can to pay that forward to the next generation. Magdalen, and Oxford as a whole, are historic places that have so many memories for so many people; it’s great to have it as a part of my own personal history, and to be able to stay connected with people from it is brilliant.

What would you say to fellow alumni thinking about getting involved through volunteering or mentoring?

Do it – it’s really rewarding to talk to current students about their experiences and offer support for whatever their future holds. Through OUS Liverpool, I’ve met some lovely friends and interesting people.

For me, it always comes back to the people, spreading support and kindness where you can. 

You’re also a trustee of the HarrisonParrott Foundation – what do you think needs to change to make music education more accessible?

There needs to be a shift, on a government and national level, to appreciate the arts and humanities as equally important to languages, maths and science. Due to changes in policy over the last couple of decades, music is given minimal timetabling considerations in schools and dismissed as secondary. It’s been proven again and again how learning a musical instrument and being actively involved in music improve a child’s development, not just from an academic perspective but also in terms of empathy, concentration and patience.

Music needs to be given greater consideration in the curriculum, with opportunities for primary schools to teach it properly and maintain those experiences for children as they move to secondary school. The big thing is funding, to allow everyone, no matter their personal circumstances, to have lessons and experience music. Organisations like the HarrisonParrott Foundation support creating accessible opportunities, but it must also come from the government and be consistent across the country.

 
Music has been part of life since the dawn of humanity – why do you think it matters, and what role does it play today?

The world is a very complicated place, perhaps now more than ever. As the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said, ‘music is the universal language of mankind.’ I think today the world needs hope more than ever, and this is something music can provide.

When I think of the concerts I’ve played in, helped organise, and attended, music truly gives shared experience. It connects people from all walks of life and all backgrounds, it is universal.

What is it about Schubert’s piano music that drew you in, and how has your research shaped how you play his work?

I knew that I wanted to do a PhD project which explored a composer I loved to play. I had a shortlist, and Schubert came out on top as he’s rarely discussed from a pianistic perspective. It was so interesting to learn about the pianos he would have known, the differences in the instruments and sound world which he was absorbed in. That gave me a different perspective to the music he wrote and allowed a different entrance point in learning his works as well as interpreting them, particularly in terms of texture, harmony and pedalling. The methods I explored are also something I apply to other composers’ works; it comes back to what’s always fascinated me about music – the never-ending storytelling and ability to share it with others.

Is there a performance highlight from your career that you’re particularly proud of?

There are several, but all for different reasons. I think though, that the performance experiences I’m particularly proud of are when I know it’s reached the audience in a particular way – whether allowing someone a moment of respite or space to think, or being the musician that provides their first-ever live performance opportunity. For instance, in February 2024, I performed a lunchtime concert that included several works from the AQA A-level syllabus at the time, and secondary school students from across Merseyside were invited. There were several students in the front rows (for many, it was their first live performance experience of this type); even when playing, I could see their reactions out of the corner of my eye and could see them jump as the music took a dramatic turn and see their transfixed expressions.

For me, as a performer, the greatest gift is sharing it with others. Telling stories through music and sharing experiences.

What’s next – any upcoming projects or performances you're excited about?

I have a recital in early November at the Tung Auditorium in Liverpool, as a part of the Yoko Ono Lennon Lunchtime Concert series. The concert is titled ‘A Piano Voyage to France’, and the programme includes works by Ravel, Fauré and will finish with Franck’s Prelude, Chorale et Fugue.

There are also a few other performance-related projects on the go, some linking to my work as a performance lecturer and others that explore wellbeing of musicians. The next HarrisonParrott Foundation Symposium is also in November (14 November at The Glasshouse in Gateshead), and I’m looking forward to supporting that too. Long term, I know that I want to continue supporting initiatives that promote music education and allow people to experience music positively as a part of their lives.