Born: London

Studied: I went to Bristol University to study Biology and Geography but also knew it was a great place to get involved in music without having to study it! After that I went to the Royal Academy of Music as a Postgraduate for two years before landing my job in the Sinfonia the following year. I had just left college and was wondering how to start making a living when I found the Sinfonia advert in a newspaper someone had left behind on the train. In those days orchestral jobs were advertised in the Sunday Telegraph. I made the serendipitous decision to audition and here I still am, many happy years later! The best orchestral training I ever had was the amazing couple of years I spent in the National Youth Orchestra & Chamber Orchestra, along with Amos Miller and Dave Gordon Shute in the Sinfonia brass section.

Joined: 1998

First ballet or concert you saw: The first concert I remember going to was a family concert by a local amateur orchestra. The main thing I remember is being given a 2p coin as a prize for being able to name a viola. I didn’t admit that my mum had just told me the answer! I hadn't seen a ballet until I joined the RBS but now have much more of an appreciation of what an amazing art form it is.

Why the violin? I actually love the feel of it as well as the sound. There are so many different tone colours and textures you can produce on the violin. I enjoy the fact that my playing technique is always evolving.

Favourite ballet to play: It’s hard to choose one but Prokofiev’s Cinderella and Romeo and Juliet, and Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring and Apollo are definitely up there. My favourite ever triple bill was The Firebird, Petrushka and The Rite of Spring.

Interesting fact about you: I spend a lot of time making music in the moment with people living with dementia. I am very thankful to be involved in wonderful projects for Wigmore Hall Learning and the Royal Academy of Music, where a team of musicians and dancers improvise and create music and dance together with people with dementia. The work is endlessly inspiring, creative, spontaneous, playful, deep and ultimately life-affirming.