September’s Graduate of the Month
September’s Graduate of the Month is 18-year-old Zozi, who is studying at the Purcell School. Zozi was nominated for a LMF Scholarship by Richmond Music Trust in 2013 after she had taken part in Wider Opps violin classes for two years at her primary school and shown a real talent. She had achieved a distinction for Grade 1 and was playing at Grade 2 level when she began her Scholarship. She continued to progress even more rapidly, achieving Grade 4 distinction after just one year, and later taking Grades 5 and 6 Violin and Grade 5 Theory. By the end of her Scholarship in 2017, Zozi was playing at Grade 8 level.
Zozi playing at our Awards Day in 2013
During her Scholarship Zozi played with numerous ensembles including Richmond Youth Symphony Orchestra, the National Schools Symphony Orchestra, Young Orchestra for London, Richmond Music Trust Chamber Orchestra, and various chamber music ensembles. As well as the violin she also played the piano, and later discovered singing, which is now her first study instrument.
In 2019 we were delighted to learn that Zozi had earned a place at the Purcell School for Young Musicians, where she is currently studying voice and violin. She achieved a 9 (A*) grade for GCSE music and is preparing to take her A levels in Music, Art and Polish. We were thrilled to hear that Zozi has just been elected as Head Girl at Purcell, making her the second LMF Graduate to fill this position!
We asked Zozi some questions about her Scholarship:
Tell us about being a London Music Fund (formerly the Mayor's Fund for Young Musicians!) scholar, What did you get from the experience?
Thanks to this funding I was able to continue doing what I love. If not for the Mayor’s Music Fund, I would not be where I am today – a violinist studying at the Purcell School. In all honesty I probably would've had to give up on violin due to lack of funding, but thankfully, here I am, still making sweet sweet music :-)
Tell us about your best moment(s) of being a Scholar – did you get to perform in some cool places/meet some interesting and exciting people?
I'd say the most exciting part of being a Scholar was initially being able to carry on playing violin with my friends... I guess there was this one time I got to sit next to a member of the Berlin Philharmonic when I was doing an orchestral course. He was cool and made me realise that at the end of the day, no matter how good one can play their instrument, musicians are human and allowed to make mistakes.
“I came into music thinking I would some day become a great solo violinist (which I'm sure is still possible) but now I am studying to be the greatest opera and jazz singer this world has seen :-) Words cannot express how grateful I am for the opportunities I have been given thanks to the funding I received from the London Music Fund. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.” - Zozi
What impact, if any, has music had on your life?
I feel as though there will never be a good enough answer to this question. I suppose all I can say for now is that I am a more patient person, it has helped me appreciate the small things in my life (so far) and that I have a deeper well of emotions I didn't even know I had access to until recently, really. Almost as if I may have more empathy than that of a non-musician. I don't really know what else I could say without going on a huge 'rant' for 10,000+ words. What impact did music have on my life? Quite frankly, it changed my life completely. In so many ways (good and bad) that I wouldn't even know where to begin. All I know for certain, is that I want it to be a part of my life until the day I die.
Did being a London Music Fund Scholar affect your attitude to learning music? Can you tell us how?
For a while I thought everything would come to me easily since I was told I had natural talent. Which at first was true. I did find things easy but when I had to put the work in it was overwhelming and I thought I just sucked at playing. In fact there was a moment in my life that I considered quitting because suddenly I was faced with a huge responsibility that I didn't know how to tackle. However, I overcame that hurdle by realising that it's not about how you play compared to those around you, or those in your environment surrounding you, but about your own growth. In conclusion, I think it is so important to set yourself goals or at least have some sort of path to follow instead of worrying about the things in life that you can’t control.
How would you describe your musical journey since graduating from your Scholarship? What are your proudest achievements since then?
Since graduating I’ve moved to CYM, where I made a lot of fantastic music with people alike. I passed my violin grade 8 with distinction. I performed in Dr Faust with LSSO in January 2019, which was an amazing production at the Barbican Centre. I played with NSSO Philharmonic in Verdi’s Requiem for the 25th anniversary concert at Birmingham Symphony Hall. Following my acceptance to Purcell School I started boarding and I was finally surrounded by music and people who like me are passionate about making music. I repeated year 12 last year, choosing to change my first study to voice which has proven to be a success. I passed Grade 8 singing with distinction this year, I have taken part in several projects and concerts, but my proudest achievement was my singing performance at the Deal Festival with Nicolas Daniel on the 1 July 2021. I received some fantastic feedback from people within the music industry, which naturally gave me happiness and enhances my motivation to work hard.
What are you looking forward to doing musically in the next year?
In the next year I am planning to start studying voice at conservatoire.
What advice would you give to our new cohort of young musicians, beginning their Scholarships this term?
I would just say have fun, enjoy to the max, and don’t be shy! Take all opportunities and make friends, most of all give yourself a big pat on your shoulder ☺️
Zozi’s performance of ‘Erbarme dich’ from Bach’s St Matthew Passion at Deal Festival this summer