28/09/2026
Exposing myself, long read:
A month ago today I debuted at Musikfest Berlin in the opening concert of the 75th Berliner Festspiele with the Yle Radio Symphony Orchestra. In this production of Ligeti’s Le Grand Macabre, I, as the Black Minister, was able to push and break down perceived boundaries between myself and the audience.
This moment captured by Fabian Schellhorn exemplifies just that. However for me, it is much more. I am a young artist who did not grow up in classical music, nor come from a rich background. Instead, I came from a small Scottish countryside working class town and found my way to classical music at 18. With no musical training and almost no exposure to opera, each step of my journey has been fraught with hardship. From working up to 3 jobs at once (which I still do) to dealing with moments of classism and xenophobia too. It’s been tough but it is important to note that I have met many wonderful colleagues and friends along the way who have guided and helped me. Therefore this photo, represents how I have exposed myself to not only an audience but a whole new world.
To enter the classical world was not a natural step for me, it was far from it. However, I am grateful that I allowed myself to try. I stepped out of safety and exposed myself to a new world. One that may be fraught with hardship but that is also incredibly rewarding. Therefore in this photo, I ask you to not just see a hilarious moment but a young artist who has given himself to this art form and exposed himself entirely to it. Just a lad, who found his way from Carluke in the Scottish Clyde river valley to the Philharmonie Berlin to open the 75th anniversary of the Berliner Festspiele.