Flute & Beyond - Q&A with Rianna Henriques

On the 14th March we have another exciting debut for our Secret Concert series!

Hannah chats with the multi-talented Rianna Henriques (fresh off the stage at the Brit Awards!) to find out more about her eclectic career and busy life.

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Rianna is a versatile woodwind doubler, based in South East London. She is currently studying the flute at the Royal College of Music, in the first year of her Master of Performance degree. She is a founding member of the London Philharmonic Orchestra New Generation Board, and she loves to socialise and network. She works alongside several orchestras and bands, including the Chineke! Orchestra and the National Youth Jazz Orchestra. She has also performed with well-known artists, including Alicia Keys, Jorja Smith and RAYE, through companies including Netflix, Samsung, Vogue and the BRIT Awards.

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Hey Rianna! It’s so exciting to have you join us for our next secret concert. I’ve known you for a few years, from playing in Ibiza Orchestra Live together. You have such an eclectic range of performing activities... what are you currently up to?

Yes, thank you Hannah. I’m very much looking forward to playing in this month’s Secret Concert Series! I’m currently studying for my Master of Performance degree on flute at the Royal College of Music and I’m having a great time continuing my studies at the RCM. I recently took part in the RCM Concerto Competition and also in the newly-established Music and Dance Collective, where musicians and composers from the Royal College of Music collaborate with dancers from Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance to curate a showcase – this year the stimulus was CERN, a science laboratory uncovering what the universe is made of.

Outside of the RCM, I’m keeping very busy with external commitments. More often than not, I’m playing with ensembles including the Chineke! Orchestra, the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, Symphonica and Brixton Chamber Orchestra, but I am also currently playing for some event ensembles and agencies, including the Flame Trio (a vocal, violin and saxophone group) and the Small Band Company.

I love how diverse my music career is. Whilst I enjoy playing in classical chamber ensembles, I also enjoy working with mainstream artists for events and shows. I have had the pleasure of working for Netflix, Vogue, Samsung, Puma, the Brit Awards!

Most musicians specialise in one area, however you’re super unusual as for your Bachelor of Music degree, you took two instruments jointly for your Principal Study! How did this work?

Yes, you’re right, I did study both flute and saxophone for my Bachelor of Music at the Royal College of Music. I’ve been playing the flute since the age of 7 and the saxophone since the age of 9 and, therefore, throughout the entirety of my secondary schooling, I was vastly progressing on both. It got to the stage of me applying for my Bachelor of Music at various conservatoires when I decided I didn’t want to choose only one instrument to study full-time. The RCM is one of few conservatoires where it is possible to study two different specialisms, both at equal intensity and I seized this opportunity of becoming a Joint Principal Study (JPS) full Royal College of Music Scholar.

Being a Joint Principal Study flautist and saxophonist was definitely demanding, yet incredibly rewarding. It enabled me to ensure a well-rounded sphere of genres and, in recent years, I have also built a network in the jazz field. Being the current flute chair-holder of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra has been a real privilege, and our live performances have featured many of the jazz greats. I have been fortunate enough to work with Lisa Simone, Hermeto Pascoal, Nikki Yeoh and Byron Wallen, in prestigious venues, such as Ronnie Scotts and PizzaExpress Jazz Club.

Despite studying solely the flute for my Master’s degree, I still practice the saxophone regularly and play in saxophone quartets and with regular ensembles play with.

I know you have a super jam-packed schedule, but outside of music what do you enjoy doing?

Music is a major part of my life and therefore it does take up the majority of my time but I love it. I also love how well music lends to other art forms. I am particularly fond of hybrid performance formats: the synergy of theatre and music, for example, but of dance and music especially. Dance had always been very important to me, in my earlier years especially. I started tap dancing at the age of 4 and as the years went on, I picked up ballet, contemporary and street dance. I also took Dance GCSE in secondary school and participated in some intercollegiate contemporary dance competitions. Now, I attend the occasional dance workshop as my time is slightly more limited. Despite this, I live vicariously through the dancers I collaborate with. I particularly love the academic conversations had between artists in different areas and am always seeking to collaborate with artists of every genre.

It has been so extraordinary watching Music go from extra-curricular activity whilst at school, to my full-time study and career now!

I see you do lots of photo shoots - do you do any modelling? 

Well, I wish I could qualify as a full-time model but I can’t claim that title outside of the context of music, unfortunately.

I’m so thankful that my music career has enabled me to collaborate with fashion organisations and booking agencies who have published promotional content I feature in, such as stills and video shoots for event ensembles and, shoots abroad filming TV commercials. I am extremely grateful to be featured in the August 2023 edition of the Vogue magazine, shot at the Natural History Museum, alongside the Chineke! Orchestra with Jorja Smith and Griff in the forefront of the photograph. In June 2022, I played in an all-female marching band for a Puma X Liberty London event, sporting the limited edition outfits we were gifted!

Tell us about the most memorable musical experience/performance you’ve had!

Hands down the most inspiring and moving project I have been involved in, to date, was on Friday the 9th of June last year; I had my debut performing in the Royal Albert Hall. Trevor Nelson presented a night of music to mark the 75th anniversary of Windrush and celebrate the impact of Caribbean culture on British life. This one-off concert featured many guest stars, including Craig David, Beverley Knight, Loose Ends, YolanDa Brown, Tobago Crusoe, Hak Baker and award-winning author and poet, Salena Godden. It was truly phenomenal, as a member of the Chineke! Orchestra to be able to accompany all these artists.

​This collaboration, as a Black Caribbean individual, with grandparents of the Windrush generation, really meant a lot to me. The concert captured the breadth of musical influence that the Windrush generation has had on British culture over the last 75 years. Working with artists that my parents grew up loving was a special touch, and having my parents in the audience made the concert that much more special.

And finally, tell us what you’ve got coming up! Any exciting concerts or projects?

I have quite a lot lined up for the next couple of months, mostly playing with small ensembles at hotels and events. It would be great to see you at my upcoming gigs! With the Symphonica Orchestra (a full orchestra, alongside award-winning DJ, Mr Switch), we are performing our Trance Classical show at the O2 Ritz, in Manchester, on Saturday 9th of March, and we’re taking our ‘The History of Drum & Bass’ show to Amsterdam, performing at Melkweg, on Saturday 13th of April.

I also have been playing regularly with saxophonist, bandleader and composer, Jasmine Myra, since late-2022. We have performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival Residency, the Stockholm Jazz, EFG London Jazz, Love Supreme and We Out Here Jazz Festivals, and various venues across the UK. I will be joining her in the latter part of her next UK Tour, in May. All gigs can be found in the events calendar on my website!

I am also working towards my flute end-of-year recital at the Royal College of Music. My recital is to include some late-romantic works, and a contemporary work with electronics, by Anže Rozman. My recital is unticketed and free to attend and will be from 10:10-11:00 on Wednesday the 5 th of June, in the Carne Room at the Royal College of Music.
See you there!

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