King’s Rochester pupil stuns audition panel at Birmingham Conservatoire

King’s Rochester pupil Fiorella Barbaro has been offered a place to study piano at Birmingham Conservatoire in September.

Fiorella, aged 18, a boarding pupil in the Upper Sixth, from Cerignola, Italy, originally applied to five different music conservatories, attending auditions at the Royal Welsh College of Music, Royal Academy of Music, Royal College of Music and Trinity Laban. She submitted a video entry to Birmingham Conservatoire which showcased her exceptional playing along with an eloquent speech about her musical background and desire to play piano. Fiorella received offers from both Trinity Laban and Birmingham Conservatoire.

Fiorella, whose greatest influence is Polish composer Frédéric Chopin, started playing when she was 7, tinkering on her family piano. She hopes to become a classical pianist, playing concerts across the globe. “I don’t mind if it is as a soloist, an accompiant or with an orchestra, I love playing piano”.

John Mountford, Director of Music of King’s said: “Fiorella has become integral to the music department at King’s, performing in every concert including the recent Baroque Concert in Rochester Cathedral Crypt. And offering her spare time to teach piano to pupils in the lower years”.

To support her auditions, Fiorella was granted special use of the new Bechstein grand piano after School. She expressed that: “The new piano has been great, the touch of the keys and the smoother sound have been excellent and I felt privileged to use it in my final examination recital”.

Her piano teacher Mrs Caroline Veall sadly passed away in June this year and Fiorella recognizes the impact she had on her music: “Mrs Veall helped me to express emotions through my music, she helped me convey the stories I wanted to tell and the journey I wanted the listener to take”.

Fiorella will spend summer travelling from her home in Rochester to Birmingham to take part in specialization lessons with her tutors. She joins a long line of pupils from King’s who have studied at conservatoires, including Anna Crawford who was offered a scholarship to Royal College of Music in 2018 and George Hancock who currently studies Organ at Birmingham Conservatoire.