Award celebrates skills of busy young Wrexham musician

TALENTED Rachel Hall has been presented with a prestigious honour celebrating her amazing musical skills.

Nineteen-year-old Wrexham-born Rachel has received an award from the Sir John Barbirolli Memorial Foundation which is run by the Royal Philharmonic Society.

Last year only 15 young musicians in the UK were awarded the prize, demonstrating the exceptionally high standards required.

As a young child Rachel briefly dabbled with the violin while at the Rofft Primary School, before beginning to learn the clarinet aged nine.

Finding that she had a natural ability in music, Rachel taught herself to play flute when she started secondary school.

When she was 14, Rachel was identified by Wrexham Music Services as a talented musician and was asked to take up the bassoon.

Within three months of being given a county bassoon to play and having less than 30 minutes of tuition a week, she played it with the Wrexham Youth Orchestra.

Rachel also played bassoon, clarinet and flute for Wrexham Senior County Band.

She toured with them to Belgium in 2006, and Holland in 2008. Rachel is currently the principal bassoonist for North Wales Youth Orchestra and the Four Counties Youth Orchestra.

She is also guest bassoonist for North Powys Youth Orchestra.

In 2006, Rachel started bassoon lessons with Hazel Barrett and through Hazel met Alan Pendlebury, Principal Bassoon with The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra who now takes an active role in mentoring Rachel.

It was also in 2006 that Rachel took the decision to specialise in bassoon.Since 2008, Rachel has been studying for a BA(Hons) Music at Leeds College of Music.

She is studying bassoon with David Baker of Opera North. At college Rachel plays in the Leeds Community Symphony Orchestra, LCM Sinfonietta, LCM Pit Band and LCM Opera Orchestra plus several quintets.

She is currently the only student in the college studying bassoon as their first instrument.

This year she completed a successful concert tour to Luxembourg with the National Youth Wind Orchestra of Wales.Rachel is also founding member of Saxafaction, a much acclaimed saxophone quartet.

Rachel now enjoys arranging music for bassoon quartets.

She records the pieces in her free time at college, playing all of the parts herself.Although Rachel enjoys playing classical music her ambition is to become a pit musician and work in musical theatre.

Rachel has recently played bassoon, baritone sax, clarinet and flute for a performance of the musical Follies at LCM and also had great fun playing saxophone in a pantomime rock band for The Maelor School in Wrexham.