Debbi Clarke – Biography
Debbi Clarke
Debbi Clarke graduated with an MA with merit in Music Direction at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts.
She has always had a passion for music, playing piano from the age of 2. Debbi took GCSE music at Davison CE High School for Girls in Worthing, where she was given the Davison Award for Music Achievement.
She achieved the highest music scholarship to study at Kent College, Canterbury, and sang in the award-winning chamber choir Sedecim. She performed as first clarinet soloist in Krommer’s Double Clarinet Concerto with the college orchestra. She was presented with the Lander Prize for Keyboard Studies at the end of her time at the college.
Her achievements to date include Grade 8 in piano, clarinet and voice, Grade 6 in music theory, and Grade 5 flute. She has gained a BMus (Hons) in Music Performance at Kingston University, majoring in piano accompaniment. She passed her MMus in piano accompaniment and performance at the London College of Music with distinction.
During her Masters degree course, Debbi Clarke studied under internationally renowned pianist Nataša Šarčević. During this time, she participated in the International Masterclasses in Narni 2016.
Debbi Clarke is a regular Musical Director for several theatre companies in the South-West London area and frequently plays in the orchestra pits for other groups on keys. She is also the ballet pianist at the London School of Musical Theatre.
Her main discipline at university was accompanying. She enjoys performing alongside other musicians and has played for a wide variety of singers, instrumentalists, vocal groups and ensembles in a range of genres. She is an exam accompanist for ABRSM, Trinity and LCM in both classical and musical theatre. She also plays as a rehearsal and audition pianist.
Debbi has been teaching piano and theory privately for six years. She teaches beginners to Grade 8 at any age. This experience also benefits Debbi’s expertise, particularly when working with nervous or young performers in theatres.
She is employed on a casual basis at Dayspace; their two centres in Caterham and Reigate cater for adults with learning disabilities. This work includes taking music sessions with the clients, playing the piano for them to sing and dance along, as well as art, relaxation and dance sessions.
Debbi Clarke plays keys with a function band. She occasionally plays reeds in theatre pits. Shows have included “Me and My Girl” at the Minack Theatre, “Kipps” at Epsom Playhouse and “Fiddler On The Roof” at Chequer’s Mead Theatre. In the past, she has been a clarinetist in LCM’s Camarata orchestra, and deputy clarinetist for Kingston Philharmonia.
As a member of the Royal Choral Society, Debbi Clarke regularly performed in the Royal Albert Hall. She also sang in the Kingston University Chamber Choir (including an Italian tour), Kingston Choral Society, and performed with the Riverside Opera, Kingston, as a chorus member in Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet in Kingston’s Rose Theatre.
In addition, Debbi played the part of a chorister in the critically acclaimed film “The Theory of Everything”, based on the life of Stephen Hawking.
Contact
To contact Debbi Clarke, click here.