On the night of November 26th 2018, I was lucky enough to participate in a Trinity Laban Celebrate Royal Greenwich Music Concert in conjunction with the Greenwich Music Hub in the newly refurbished Blackheath Halls.

I represented the Royal Greenwich Youth Orchestra (RGYO) and my chosen instrument was the Tenor Horn. Our repertoire was three pieces from the amazing and innovative Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite No.1. Morning Mood, In the Hall of the Mountain King and Solvieg’s song. My favourite piece is Morning Mood as it makes me and the surrounding atmosphere feel serene and calm, like a floating ballerina on her pointes.

We were the closing performance so we had to do our best! I was so nervous as I had only just joined the orchestra two weeks ago and this was my first performance.

I had butterflies in my tummy. I had never felt so nervous but knowing I was part of this wonderful team gave me confidence and resilience to play these beautiful pieces of music with a full and happy heart. As soon as I began to play, my nerves washed away and I felt fully relaxed into the pieces. All my hard practice had paid off!

The audience was huge and they were all grinning like Cheshire Cats and a loud applause filled the hall right to the ceiling. The applause made me feel warm and glowing and I was now smiling from ear to ear.

I can’t wait for my next concert... I really hope to see you there!