How I got to where I am
After stumbling across the classical guitar at eleven (a dangerous thing to do given it's made of delicately crafted wood), Abbey began to love the instrument. She began seriously considering tertiary studies on the instrument in high school, and so began her Bachelor of Music (Classical Guitar) at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) in 2017.
Abbey is a Boorloo/Perth -based guitarist, composer, and teacher. She is enthusiastic about the performance and creation of contemporary classical guitar works, particularly by Australian and female composers. Abbey continues to develop her practice, collaborating with artists from a diverse range of fields. She has studied guitar with Jonathan Paget, Melissa Fitzgerald, and Duncan Gardiner, and has participated in master classes with Karin Schaupp and Slava Grigoryan, among others. Her compositions draw inspiration from such diverse artists as Carolina Eyck, Joni Mitchell, and the Oh Hellos. She specialises in composition with looping station. Highlights of her composing career include performing with contemporary dancers for The Blue Room Theatre’s Winter Shorts 2019 program, participating in the first development of Stratified Knowing with Bethany Reece in 2020 (supported by Regional Arts Australia), and performing her original composition Broken Record for guitar and looper in Melbourne whilst on tour with the WAAPA classical guitarists. In 2020 Abbey undertook honours research into contemporary classical guitar works by Australian women composers, culminating in a recital of four works. Abbey has since performed selections of these works throughout 2021, in concerts in Perth, at the Twisted Spruce online symposium-competition based in the United States, and as a semi-finalist of the 2022 Adelaide International Guitar competition.
In 2023, Abbey was selected as Ensemble Offspring’s Hatched Associate Artist, which involved her commissioning a new work from Christine Pan and performing with them in October 2023.
Abbey is a Boorloo/Perth -based guitarist, composer, and teacher. She is enthusiastic about the performance and creation of contemporary classical guitar works, particularly by Australian and female composers. Abbey continues to develop her practice, collaborating with artists from a diverse range of fields. She has studied guitar with Jonathan Paget, Melissa Fitzgerald, and Duncan Gardiner, and has participated in master classes with Karin Schaupp and Slava Grigoryan, among others. Her compositions draw inspiration from such diverse artists as Carolina Eyck, Joni Mitchell, and the Oh Hellos. She specialises in composition with looping station. Highlights of her composing career include performing with contemporary dancers for The Blue Room Theatre’s Winter Shorts 2019 program, participating in the first development of Stratified Knowing with Bethany Reece in 2020 (supported by Regional Arts Australia), and performing her original composition Broken Record for guitar and looper in Melbourne whilst on tour with the WAAPA classical guitarists. In 2020 Abbey undertook honours research into contemporary classical guitar works by Australian women composers, culminating in a recital of four works. Abbey has since performed selections of these works throughout 2021, in concerts in Perth, at the Twisted Spruce online symposium-competition based in the United States, and as a semi-finalist of the 2022 Adelaide International Guitar competition.
In 2023, Abbey was selected as Ensemble Offspring’s Hatched Associate Artist, which involved her commissioning a new work from Christine Pan and performing with them in October 2023.
