BIOGRAPHY
To me, music is an outlet through which I can express my ideas and thoughts. I write songs about ideas I am not able to find words to express, or about things I would not dare to speak out loud about. When I moved to Hong Kong, my school provided me with so many opportunities to learn and grow as a musician, which eventually drove me to focus on vocals. In the past few years, music has become such a massive part of my life. I took this further by studying Higher Level Music in the International Baccalaureate (IB) and studied vocals at BIMM Institute Berlin. This has allowed me to learn different vocal techniques for musical theatre, Italian arias, rock, jazz, pop, etc., and has sparked my interest in musicology.
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Aside from music, a great passion of mine is advocating for refugees. My main focus outside of the classroom of my last two years of high school was to find a way to combine music and advocating for refugees to use my voice not just to express myself, but to be a voice for the people who are voiceless.
Having participated in several festivals with the International Schools Theatre Association, ISTA, I have learned the value of collaborative devising and the importance of shedding light on struggle and resilience. The first time we worked with the refugees of Hong Kong when they were talking about their stories and we used their words to inspire movement and music, I knew in my heart, that I needed to do something to help. Upon returning to school, I set up an Action for Refugees group that has now organised two arts fundraisers raising over HK$53,000 for the refugee community of Hong Kong.
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As an artist, I feel a responsibility to share stories and express the truth within us, to improve the relationships we have with one another. Despite our individual differences, people who are struggling just want to be heard and to be included. Thus, I want to make it my purpose to be that bridge in society who will speak up for the voiceless in an attempt to connect them back to society.
My music endeavours
As a performer, composer, and writer, I am inspired by numerous musical styles. Since moving to Hong Kong I have studied voice, performing in various student bands, musical theatre ensembles, and as a soloist.
In High School, I was honoured to be part of a writing team including three students and three members of staff, that wrote and produced our own original full length musical, “The Bits Between” which explored themes of identity, friendship and mental health. Working with a cast and crew of over 45 students and a band, this project helped me to understand that the Arts can be a powerful platform to discuss and raise awareness of difficult topics.
As a soloist, I enjoy singing different musical styles such as ballads, musical theatre, rock, and have discovered a passion for Jazz through a masterclass with Gamiel Lyon. As an ensemble member, I have sung Alto and Soprano in our Community Choir for 3 years and we have performed at school events and hospital fundraisers as well as the prestigious Isaac Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall, New York, where we performed one 45 minute act conducted by the father of a cappella, Deke Sharon. I am currently singing as a tenor in the 100% Gospel Choir e.V. Berlin, conducted by Ingrid Arthur (former member of The Weather Girls).
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Whilst in New York, I was honoured to secure a personal interview with Deke Sharon for my 4000 word research investigation in Music which I provided the analysis of Sharon's arrangements and original versions of chosen musical extracts in order to decode his musical language.
As a songwriter and composer, I was chosen to participate in a composition masterclass with Emmy award winner, Dr. John Altman in which he critiqued my song as “memorable and captivating”. Later, I was invited to perform a song with him and we improvised a version of ‘I’m not the only one’ by Sam Smith. It was during that performance that I first had the sense of the world falling away because we were so thoroughly in the moment. I knew that night, this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.
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