Hi! My name is Adah and I am a 21 year old clarinettist from Sheffield. I just finished my undergraduate degree in music at the University of Cambridge. In September, I am very excited to be starting a masters in clarinet performance at Guildhall School of Music and Drama. The reason I am doing this masters degree is to pursue my love of performing. I have always known that I want to go to music college. Compared to my undergraduate degree which was mostly academic, and on average I had between 10 and 15 clarinet lessons a year, my masters course will be far more practical, and I will 45 clarinet lessons next year! This is just one example of the intense but extremely beneficial education I will receive to become an even better clarinettist, learning to play to the absolute best of my ability.

I am so passionate about music and performance because I see it ultimately as extremely social and rewarding for audience members and performers alike. In a world that bombards with short, overly stimulating videos and advertisements, live classical music creates a unique space for stillness and longevity. An art form that brings people into one space and requires collective social responsibility to one another to behave a certain way, in my opinion, holds a lot of value in our loneliness epidemic. I want to find my place in this art form which I see as more relevant than ever.

My career aspirations also reach beyond performing and into music education and the charity sector. Having benefited from charities and institutions such as Sheffield Music Academy, the City of Sheffield Youth Orchestra, Young Sounds UK, the Universal Music UK Sound Foundation and the Christine Brown Trust, I have experienced first hand the change these charities can make in the lives of young people. Without these, I would not be in the position I am today. Talent is everywhere, but opportunity isn’t, and as part of my eternal gratefulness to these institutions, I would like to be part of the change that creates more opportunities for young talent to flourish despite barriers it may face.

One of the barriers to my own next steps is financial. Although I am very grateful to have been offered a scholarship from Guildhall, it does not fully cover my fees and that doesn’t even begin to cover living expenses of being in London for two years. Although I will do all the work I can, it is uncertain how much of my expenses I will be able to cover on my own and so I need a bit more security.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and thank you to anyone who is able to donate even just a little bit to my fundraiser. I sincerely hope that I will be able to use this in the future to touch other people’s lives. My ultimate goal for my career and my life is simply to help people and make their lives better, so thank you again.

My performance of Finzi’s Clarinet Concerto