A TALENTED French horn player at Solihull Sixth Form College is pursuing her dream of working as a professional musician, after securing an offer from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
Petiya Edwards, aged 18, from Ward End, who studies A level Music at the college, was originally undecided about whether to specialise in playing the saxophone or the French horn.
She said: “I play both the French horn and the saxophone and I was really torn as to which instrument to pursue, but not many people play the Horn anymore, so I think that will offer me greater availability for work in the future.
“I want to become a professional musician and travel the world, because I love music and I love travelling.”
After a successful interview and audition she secured an offer to study at the Conservatoire. As part of her audition she had the daunting challenge of leading a brass section that consisted of third and fourth year Conservatoire students and a postgraduate student.
Petiya said: “It was quite scary to lead a section, because I had never done that before. I had originally thought I might not apply to the Conservatoire, but in the end I decided to push myself and see what happened and I’m really pleased to have been offered a place.”
She has also been selected to take part in Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Brass Project.
The festival takes place in mid-January and will see Petiya take part in workshops and masterclasses, including one delivered by French horn player Sarah Willis, who is a member of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
Petiya will also be taking part in the National Youth Orchestra’s Inspire Days. This will include a study day in Sheffield, when she can explore the French horn in more depth.
Music teacher Chris Phelps said: “I’m so pleased for Petiya that she has secured an offer from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. She set herself a big challenge and she has been rewarded for the hard work she put in and the talent she possesses.”
