University of Oxford
In October 2025, I started an MSt in Musicology at Somerville College, University of Oxford.
My Research
My research aims to understand and make visible musical performance as a locus of communities – an intersection that both transcends local and national borders, and co-creates an intercultural musical ecosystem that supports and sustains individual identity and purpose in a shared place or moment.
I have worked closely with Oxford Maqam Big Band exploring and workshopping the music of the 1950s Egyptian singer, Abd Al’Halim Hafez, resulting in two sell-out concerts in 2023 and 2024. I have subsequently written a paper examining the place of Abd Al’Halim Hafez in global jazz histography. I examined the music of Al’Halim as a means to reconfigure a growing jazz canon that embraces the diaspora as an integral component. His music becomes part of the process of de-centring jazz history, so that the genre no-longer becomes purely a reflection of a US art form but an art form that embraces identities of local, national and transnational art forms.
I have recently written a paper exploring Afrobeat sensation, Fela Kuti, examining the different aspects of his music and identity, and how these different acts of construction and deconstruction can aid our understanding of his music and how we can approach listening to his music. My work explores the process of decolonisation in global Jazz, and how we approach listening to music in post-colonial structures still influenced by colonial legacy. I am interested in how we can approach this music (and our own performances) to truly understand a global history of jazz that is inclusive.
At the core of this research is the belief that music can and should be inclusive. I have spent several years working for Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and The Royal Academy of Music’s Open Academy and these experiences have demonstrated not only the ability of music and musicians to transcend boundaries, but that this process is symbiotic, involving multiple pathways that cross between the musician, the listener and vice versa.
Prince Consort Ladygirl, Dec 2025 - March 2026
From January – March 2026, I worked as Red Threaded Theatre’s Musical Director/Conductor on a production of 'Prince Consort Ladygirl’, a Chinese Huangmei Opera directed by William Want.
Huangmei Opera developed in the 18th and 19th century in the Hubei, Jiangxi and Anhui regions, with 'Prince Consort Ladygirl' gaining popularity nationally in China after the success of a film adaption in 1959.
For our performance, the opera was specially translated into English, and new transcriptions and arrangements were made to suit an ensemble blending traditional Chinese instruments with western classical instrumentation. We workshopped these arrangements over a few weeks to develop the final score. It’s been a great learning process.
Please do read a review of the Oxford Blue review of the production here: https://theoxfordblue.co.uk/prince-consort-ladygirl-at-the-keble-oreilly-reviewed/
Orchestra
Musical Director: Jake Silver Fletcher
Erhu/Orchestra & Production Manager/AMD: Madison Starr
Piano/AMD: Jelena Mata
Bangu: Diego Trombetta Eizaguirre
Violin: Alex Coleman
Cello: Hannah Hamborg
Dizi: Yuxiang Qi
Guitar: Fabio Picca
Clarinet: Jamie Hopkin
Yangqin / Xiaoluo / Nabuo: Jasmine Lee
Turtle Art Song, Oct - Dec 2025
I worked with Turtle Art Song on a community project for people living with dementia. Each Friday, we met as a group at the Jacqueline de Pre Music Building at St Hilda’s College, University of Oxford. We worked together to compose a set of songs all inspired by the senses and building a better future through imaginative inventions. We also engaged in a series of warm-up games and compositional processes, from brainstorming ideas to composing songs directly with the participants in small groups. There was a final showcase in December 2025 to friends, family and fundraisers.
The project was a fantastic example of intergenerational music-making. The participants were from a wide variety of ages, with often their (adult) children joining in with the process. The final performance was live-streamed, with relatives from Australia watching the performance at midnight local time.
The sessions were led by Jon Petters and Carolyn von Stumm. The project was also supported by the University of Oxford Music Faculty, St Hilda’s College and the Royal College of Music Sparks Programme.
Photograph credit: Simon Hutchins
Oxford Millenium Orchestra
This year, I have performed with the Oxford Millennium Orchestra, playing a range of works from Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite to Mahler’s incredible Third Symphony, frequently regarded as the symphonic repertoire longest in duration. For this concert, the orchestra arranged for the local Oxford Youth Choirs to join in the final movement, and formed a scratch choir – the Oxford Millennium Chorus – that the group hope to utilise for future performances. It is an impressive outfit that perform at a very high standard.
The orchestra has a reputation for tackling bold, ambitious repertoire, also performing Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet Suite (famous for its opening movement featured as the BBC’s ‘The Apprentice’ theme music) and Samuel Coleridge Taylor’s Ballade in A Minor. These works match the grandeur of the performance hall – the Sheldonian Theatre – with audiences consistently reaching 550 – 600 people.
The group is made up of University of Oxford staff, students and alumni alongside members of Oxford’s community. The orchestra enjoy expanding the canon of orchestral classical music, and the inclusion of Samuel Coleridge Taylor was a welcome step in that direction.
I am looking forward to supporting the performance of Shostakovich’s Tenth Symphony and Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto on Friday 12th June.
Green Bean Machine
I perform with function band, Green Bean Machine, at a range of events in Oxford. We take music from rock and pop, and we transform the music through funk horn lines and two amazing guitarists! It is fantastic being part of a group, devising our own lines, adapting existing charts, and performing to crowds on a regular basis.
We recently performed at Jesus College Oxford to a sold-out crowd, and are looking forward to being a headline act at Wadstock Music Festival in May 2026. We have regular performances throughout the summer months, so please do check out our Instagram for information about our upcoming performances.
University of Oxford Wind Orchestra
I was invited by Felix Thomson to join the Oxford University Wind Orchestra. Directed by Thomson and Nick Samuels, the group has a reputation for tackling ambitious repertoire. In past performances, we have performed John Adams’ ‘Short Ride in a Fast Machine’, Michael Tippets ‘Triumph’, Tull’s ‘Sketches on a Tudor Psalm’ and Sowande’s ‘Obangiji’.
In particular, I was excited by the possibility of performing a brand new (and possibly only) arrangement for wind band of Stravinsky’s ‘Petrouchka’. This famous ballet suite was arranged by the band’s MD and third-year music student, Nick Samuel. This was an ambitious project that was hugely successful. It was a pleasure to support the orchestra as part of the trumpet section.
In March 2026, we performed with Cambridge University Wind Orchestra in a joint concert at Pembroke College Auditorium, Cambridge. It was fantastic to see so many wind, brass, and percussion instrumentalists performing together on the stage, and an optimistic sign for the future!
