The Glasshouse

Reflecting on her journey, composer Anna Appleby believes that her time playing with Young Sinfonia at The Glasshouse International Music Centre laid the foundation for her career in music. “If I hadn’t had that chance as a teenager, I wouldn’t be a composer now,” she shares.

Anna vividly remembers the excitement and nerves as she awaited her oboe solos in Holst’s The Planets at Gothenburg Concert Hall. “The cocktail of nerves, excitement, and vending machine coffee made me realise I had found my passion – music – something I wanted to pursue every day for the rest of my life,” she recalls.

Looking back, Anna recognises that the friendships she formed with fellow musicians were crucial in overcoming feelings of imposter syndrome.

“Bonding with the other musicians in the orchestra helped me feel like I’d found my tribe. It was lovely to have such a strong common interest, and that really helped me feel like I belonged,” she says.

 

A pivotal moment for Anna came when she played first oboe during Young Sinfonia’s tour to Sweden, collaborating with an incredible Swedish youth orchestra, VÄGUS. “Being totally immersed in music in another country made me feel entranced. I had that sense that I could do music full-time,” she reflects.

The camaraderie and mentorship she experienced shaped her musical journey. “Playing alongside peers who excelled in their playing inspired me to improve my musicianship. The connections I made influenced my growth immensely,” Anna shares.

Despite the challenges of being a young musician, including feelings of self-doubt, Anna found a sense of belonging in Young Sinfonia that grounded her. “Having that support as a teenager has made me feel more secure in myself and my identity as a musician,” she explains.

In the 2022 Anna returned to Young Sinfonia for a year-long residency, where she worked with the young musicians to create new commission Bridges. This project aimed to connect young musicians from different backgrounds through collaborative composition and performance. Anna had the opportunity to inspire the orchestra to explore their creativity.

“I hope the experience helped them feel a sense of pride for the North East, having a bespoke piece composed about it with and for them. I wanted them to feel permission to make their own sounds on their instruments and to listen to everything going on around them as part of a larger whole,” she says.

For Anna, music is a great source of connection and expression. “Sometimes, when I feel lost in the professional music world, I remember how my teenage self felt that raw connection to music – the emotion and spirit within it. It grounds me,” she explains.

Her message to young musicians today is clear:

“Music education is not just about making music your career or learning to play your instrument in one correct way. It broadens our whole selves and connects our minds to each other.”

 

“Music is deeply intertwined with society, politics, science, and history. It speaks to something fundamental within us as living beings.”

Anna Appleby’s journey reminds us that music is more than just notes on a page; it’s a pathway to belonging, creativity, and self-discovery. Through her work with Young Sinfonia and the Bridges project, she continues to inspire the next generation of musicians to embrace their voices and find joy in the music they create together.