Alexandra is a mezzo-soprano who performs extensively in the UK and Europe as an oratorio soloist.  She attended the Marist Schools from 1982 to 1996.

What are your happiest memories of the Marist?
My happiest memories of the Marist were doing music and drama. I started learning the violin early on at the Prep school with Mrs. Greenwood and it was about that time that I got the main role in the school production of Baboushka. Doing this I found that I had a natural singing voice and felt very comfortable acting in front of an audience. I loved everything involved with producing a play and shortly after this I started to have singing lessons. Throughout my school life I took part in numerous plays and musicals and at the Senior School, Chanel House literally became my home. I studied double A Level Music and Theatre Studies in the sixth form. Reading through plays, studying music and playing in the Recorder Consort then run by the Head of Music Mrs. Knowles made up some of the happiest memories not only of being at the Marist, but in my life so far.

How did you begin your career?
I always knew that I wanted my work to involve music, acting, travel, and languages - everything I was studying. When I was in Year 9 at the senior school, I won the Young Musician of The Year Competition in Ascot and was then accepted for Saturday tuition at the Junior Royal Academy of Music. There I began to study singing with the idea of becoming an opera singer.  On leaving school, I studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in
London. Following my BA I did a Masters Degree in Music Performance and then a two year Opera Course which ultimately gave young singers the opportunity to showcase themselves to music professionals and agents. Through this, I was accepted into the Glyndebourne Festival Chorus for the summer season - a fantastic experience for a young singer to see how a real opera company worked and to meet lots of famous singers! After six months I was then accepted to the International Opera Studio at the Zurich Opera House. This course allowed me to continue studying performance and stage skills.  I made my debut at the Zurich Opera House in a specially adapted version of Mozart’s The Magic Flute for Children, and performed in many other concerts and operas throughout my time there, often travelling throughout Switzerland, Italy and Germany.

Who have you enjoyed meeting?
I always enjoy meeting famous singers and conductors, some of them have been, Dame Janet Baker, Sir Simon Rattle, and director Peter Sellers.

What do you enjoy most about your work?
I love being on stage whether in a concert or an opera production but I think if I had to choose I would rather be a character on stage as I love to lose myself in a different personality. I can bring whatever I want to a character because it’s not me! I also love travelling. Many singers and musicians actually find this a chore, but for me it was one of the reasons I got into the job in the first place. I don’t like the routine of always being in the same place at the same time every week, and although my job does not offer a conventional life style, I love it that way.

What do you find most rewarding in your job?
When people come up to me after a performance and say things like I moved them to tears, or I touched their heart, or I made them forget themselves for that short while so they could take a break from their life. For me music is about healing. If only one person comes away with a lighter heart after hearing me sing then that is a reward for me. If I can do that for thousands of people at a time, then I am on top of the world!