Dear friends,
How are you doing? I’m still buzzing from my trip to Berlin. It really was the experience of a lifetime and I loved sharing as many parts of it as I could over on Instagram.
As soon as I landed in that magical city, I was invited to play at a jam session by jazz violinist Roland Satterwhite. He’s a brilliant musician! I jumped up to play with musicians who had ended up in Berlin from all parts of the world – Bulgaria, Scotland, the States. We were in a cosy bar, with a super professional sound engineer, and people flowed in packing out the place on a Wednesday night. They were listening intently while enjoying their drinks and friends. I knew then I was going to love Berlin.
Over the first week, I went to as many gigs as I could. I saw a Krautrock/Dream Pop band with a frontman who sang like Dracula, I saw a five string violinist perform in a church in quadraphonic sound, I went clubbing at Ritter Butzke and I saw some experimental piano and cello music where audience members were invited to listen one by one underneath the piano. I have been so inspired by the exploration and experimentation, and the creative spirits that vibrated throughout the city and its people.
The second week was intense. Classical:NEXT was kicking off. This was the reason I was in Berlin. Delegates, artists and industry professionals from all around the world were meeting here to discover and discuss the future of classical and art music, and my music was a part of that conversation. This was huge and although I was nervous about my upcoming performance, I was excited to be a part of it all.
Almost fifteen years ago I did an artist residency at The Banff Centre in Canada. It was there I met a sound engineer interested in spatiality and new tech in live music. His name is Thomas Geiger. Fast forward to the beginning of this year when I thought, “hey, isn’t Tommy based in Berlin? And couldn’t he be my sound engineer for my performance?”. I contacted Tommy on Instagram. Small world. He was in Berlin!
Tommy and I had a great soundcheck and everything was ready to go. I’d invited as many delegates as I could think of to my showcase. Now I just had to play a brilliant show! I took this pic in the autophotomat just before I played.
The night was at Kater Blau – usually a night club. It is part of a very cool complex called Holzmarkt with cafes, decks, arty vibes and a view of the Spree. It kicked off with Nonclassical DJ Gabriel Prokofiev. Then eight pipers (yes, the loud bagpipe pipers!) played excerpts of Phillip Glass. They were positioned all around the club and in the balcony.
The sound was immense and people were in awe. It was a great start to the night. Then, it was my turn! I played my little heart out and as soon as my bow hit the string, all my nerves disappeared. I was excited, I was prepared and I was ready for this. This was my moment. And it went so well.
My final week in Berlin was all about making connections. I chatted and met with so many people who were interested in my music and my work. I attended panels and workshops, met up with new friends in Berlin, and even guested on a panel about Genre Fluidity! I’ve never worked so hard in my life, but I’m sure it will all pay off.
I have so many more stories and experiences to share, but I just wanted you to know that I’m so appreciative of all your support, and love while I was preparing for this trip. It was super successful and I can’t wait to return to Berlin in 2025.
In the meantime, I’ve got more new music to share as well as a Berlin-inspired creative improv residency series at Jazzlab in July. I’ve also got a bunch of extra little things to tell you very soon.
I was scared before I left. It’s been a while since I’ve traveled so far away on my own. But the experience has made me stronger, happier, more independent and more confident that my music resonates with people from all over the world. Thank you for being a part of this journey.
Chat soon. xx
Upcoming Jazzlab Residency shows
You can find my latest singles ‘Keep Moving’ and ‘Unknown Area’ below:
Four ways you can immerse yourself in my creative world:
1: Listen to music:
Get inspired by listening to my music online. Just listen here.
2: Join a community:
Jump in to the peaks and troughs of creative life by following my journey on Instagram. Just follow here.
3: Get ethical and own the latest experience for yourself:
Ethically buy the latest music, vinyl, and merch I have created just for music lovers. Get the latest album here.
