Clover Bigmore, 16, started learning the bassoon at the age of 10 as part of the subsidised ‘Endangered Instruments’ scheme at the Centre for Young Musicians in London, studying with Julia Staniforth.
At the age of 14, when her school in London stopped offering on-timetable GCSE and A Level music, she moved to Wells Cathedral School on a specialist music scholarship funded by the Government’s Music and Dance Scheme.
She now studies bassoon with Connie Tanner alongside her A-Levels in English, History and Music and is preparing for university applications and conservatoire auditions as well as her bassoon diploma.
“I’ve been playing on a school bassoon, so the chance to help choose Cherubim’s next bassoon and to borrow it is brilliant,” she says. “The Fox sounds amazing and has all the keywork I need to play the bassoon at a really high level.
“It is a huge relief to know I can keep working with this bassoon wherever my music takes me after Wells. I’m so grateful to Cherubim.”
In addition to performing with the Wells symphony orchestra and many chamber ensembles, Clover currently plays the bassoon with the London Schools Symphony Orchestra and has previously played with the English Schools Orchestra, NYO Inspire, NCO and the South London Youth Orchestra (1).
She’s a keen multi-instrumentalist and academic musician, having won the Wells academic music prize and a school academic scholarship in Year 11.
She holds an ARSM diploma in flute, Grade 8 singing and is a member of the National Youth Choir of Great Britain (15-18).
Cherubim welcomes Clover as the recipient of our new Fox 201 professional bassoon.
Instagram @cloverbigmoremusic