Under the spotlight

Who is your favourite composer?

Mahler! I love Mahler. I always get goosebumps when I listen to Mahler's music. The thing I love about his music is that he somehow manages to capture every human emotion. Sometimes they all happen within the space of a few minutes, which I think shows humanity's volatility. One moment is ecstatic and jubilant followed by hopelessness and frustration.

Not only do I enjoy listening to Mahler's music, I also love playing it. He writes great music for the trumpet! I love that he showcases exactly what the trumpet is capable of. Sometimes it's heroic and militaristic. Sometimes it's sorrowful and mournful. I particularly adore the sweet and graceful melodies he has written for the trumpet, which I feel surpass those written by other composers or even his own melodies for other instruments. That being said, I also admire the musical moments where the trumpet is used sparsely or not even at all.

Some of my favourite musical moments are movement IV Urlicht from his second symphony (the trumpets only play at the start) and movement IV Adagietto from his fifth symphony which is a string only movement. So, I'm not just about the trumpet, although it is great!

What is something that may surprise us about you?

In high school I competed at the National Water Polo Championships. I would have loved to have been a professional Water Polo player but I was told that I had to be a minimum height of 5ft 9 (I'm 5ft 3). I often got sent off during games for being too aggressive in the water and my opponents were always surprised when they saw how small I was when I got out of the water.

Do you have any hobbies?

I've been learning how to paint with watercolours for about a year. I'm not very good yet but it's something I like to do when I'm not playing the trumpet. I used to enjoy doing tie-dye because I liked the way the colours moved with liquid. That's why I enjoy watercolours too. I find it relaxing to watch colour love through water.