# Adam Blakey

I started the "clarinet" at aged 8. Or at least, that's the one that goes off to the side, right? After some confusion in my first music lesson, I discovered that I really wanted to play the "flute", but I was two scared to admit I'd mixed up these two instruments. From this fortunate mix-up, I have had a very enjoyable time playing the clarinet as a hobby.

During high school, I also took up piano and electric guitar — drawn to what I thought were the “cooler” instruments. However, after switching schools for A-levels, I met a new clarinet teacher who encouraged me to work towards the Grade 8 exam and helped me discover just how incredible (and I guess pretty cool) the clarinet can be. Alongside school studies, I attended the North Tyneside Concert Band, was a member of the Klarinos Clarinet Quintet, and regularly performed in pit orchestras for amateur theatre productions across the North East.

After finishing A-levels in 2016, I moved to Nottingham to start a degree in mathematics. I was very excited that the University of Nottingham had a very active music department I could get involved with, despite not studying music as a degree. During a semester abroad at the National University of Singapore, I continued playing by joining two orchestras. Back in Nottingham, I was heavily involved in the student-run society ‘Blowsoc’, which consumed most Wednesdays with non-stop rehearsals from 13:00 to 21:30! As life grew busier during my second degree, I decided to bookend my university musical journey by performing a clarinet concerto with the University of Nottingham Wind Orchestra in 2022. You can watch my performance of the Martin Ellerby Clarinet Concerto here .

Outside the university, I have previously been a member of Nottingham Symphonic Winds between 2019 and 2025, and I'm currently a member of both Blackwood Clarinet Choir and Cirrus Clarinet Quartet since 2021. I achieved my ARSM diploma in clarinet performance in 2023.