A Brighton sixthformer is breaking into the male dominated world of professional double bass playing after winning a coveted scholarship to the Royal College of Music.
Karena Tam, a year 13 pupil at Roedean School, will study for a Bachelor of Music Performance next year, landing the place and a scholarship to pay for it after impressing the college with her performance of Concerto for Double Bass by Koussevitzky.
Female double bass players are a rarity but Karena was determined to tackle the instrument from an early age, picking it up at age six and declaring she wanted to play it to be different.
The A level student made swift progress, taking her Grade 8 at the age of 12 and achieving her Trinity Guildhall LTCL Performance Diploma aged 14, a remarkable feat.
Now she will spend three years honing her art and delving deeper in composition, which is part of the degree.
She said: “I am so delighted to have got through the audition. I was nervous because you only get 15 minutes to practise with your accompanist and then I heard someone else playing the same piece as I was planning to so that was nerve wracking. It feels great to get through and win the scholarship. There are five of is double bass players at Roedean so hopefully women will become more represented in double bass playing soon!”
Deputy head Ross Barrand added: “This was no easy task – not only landing a place but also getting a scholarship that lasts through the degree – and we are incredibly proud of Karena’s achievement. She is a trail blazer and we are incredibly proud of her.”
Categories: Roedean School School News
