Meet the Performers – Nathan-Asher, Percussion, Saxophone

We are delighted that Nathan-Asher will be performing at our ‘Jess Gillam and Friends’ concert on 7 May.

Nathan-Asher has provided a wonderful overview of his time as a LMF Scholar and Senior Scholar, and his thoughts on the concert:

Thanks to Newham Music, my local hub, I was nominated to become an LMF Scholar for Percussion in 2016. Being a Scholar and now a Senior Scholar has given me so many opportunities that I would never have imagined and been exposed to. The Scholarship helped with paying for my drum lessons, graded exams, eventually led me to percussion generally and now own a set of professional cymbals. Due to sponsored tickets to the first London Saxophone Festival, I was inspired to pick up the Saxophone and this is where I met YolanDa Brown for the first time. Earlier on in my scholarship, I was privileged to represent LMF at the ABRSM SHINE event in 2017, held at the Barbican, where I met Jess (Sax), Sheku (Cello) and Ben (French Horn) – INSPIRING! The Scholarship has given me (and still is giving me) experiences of working with professional musicians, attending masterclasses, performing at renown venues, joining Junior Guildhall and being involved in other organisations such as NYO and PercWorks. This journey has led me to gaining a music scholarship at Rugby School, where I currently study.

I’ll be playing percussion and saxophone during the fundraising concert on 7 May. I’m looking forward to playing with the current Scholars, my fellow Senior Scholars, and looking forward to seeing Jess Gillam and YolanDa Brown again. I just love everything about music; playing, collaborating, listening, watching performances and knowing what goes on behind the scenes. It doesn’t matter the size or venue — I just love playing and enjoying music. Whether it’s tapping rhythms, helping others or listening to a playlist, music is just a part of me. Music is a universal language, that’s communal, despite its origin, culture and tradition. It brings people together.

You can see Nathan-Asher perform with Jess Gillam and Friends on 7 May 2024 at St John’s Smith Square. To book your tickets, click the button below.