Sarah Stuart Sarah’s interest in medieval and renaissance music has grown out of her early encounters with period performance as an apprentice on the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment’s experience scheme for young players. Since extending her percussive expertise back through the centuries, she has amassed an interesting array of percussion instruments from several field trips to countries whose indigenous music still use instruments from ancient times. Once such drum is the Moroccan bendir… or pictured right “ben-deer” (!) Regrettably Sarah is unable to perform live on the ben-deer, as Transport for London does not permit carriage of antlers. Sarah received First Class Honours for her percussion studies on the Royal Northern College of Music’s prestigious Joint Course with the University of Manchester , and in her final year also won a Gold Medal – the RNCM’s top solo recital prize. Since graduating Sarah has worked as a freelance percussionist with several of the UK ’s leading orchestras, and following her season with the OAE (2007-8), enjoyed an association with the London Philharmonic Orchestra as a member of their Future Firsts programme. She is also proud to be the first RNCM student to take a portion of her instrumental studies in folk music, where she studied fiddle with Catriona Macdonald, continuing a passion dating back to the age of six. |
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