Felicity-Olesia Adams

My name is Felicity-Olesia Adams and I am a cellist halfway through my first year studying at the Royal College of Music in London.

London is certainly different from Reading but with a larger city comes more opportunities to explore and experience. By being in London, I have access to world-class musical performances on a very regular basis which gives me the chance as a musician to learn from the very best.

On top of that, I am privileged to have access to some of the best musical education and a genius professor who has already helped me develop as a performer. Being at the RCM gives me a plethora of performance opportunities both inside and outside the establishment and I have found by taking every opportunity I get, I have been able to start networking and have already been given gigs based on reputation and not just volunteering.

I spent over a decade in several ensembles at BMT, sometimes being at Reading Music Centre 3 times a week. BMT was definitely responsible for me wanting to pursue music as a career. I was given experience of working in an almost professional environment with BYSE, which definitely helped the transition between rehearsals at BMT and conservatoire and reduced the uncertainty of how to successfully work in that environment. BYSO used to be the highlight of my term, over my 7 years in the orchestra, I worked my way up to principal. In that position, a lot was expected from me, but over the years I began to understand the kind of intense preparation I would need to do if I was working in the profession, and brought the same attitude to BYSO. I will always be grateful to BMT for supporting me by providing me with leadership opportunities.

BMT also provided online talks about what further music education looked like and that was what set my mind on the RCM in the first place. BMT also successfully prepared and exposed me for national opportunities, when I spent time in both National Children’s Orchestra and National Youth Choir. Even during difficult times, they still supported my musical journey and continued to be the reason why I kept pushing myself to be able to be in the position that I am in now.

I would say to anyone who is thinking about working in music and maybe going into further music education, don’t be afraid of the future. Yes, effort and time is needed, but don’t let fear be a hindrance. If the love is there and the motivation is there, just go for it! If you put in the time, you will most certainly see the results and every day I spend here starting the next stage of my musical journey makes that fact more apparent.