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.
Abbey is an Aussie guitarist, composer, and teacher. Her artistic practice is people-centred, whether through collaborating with composers to create new music, working alongside other instruments in chamber settings, writing music for and performing alongside dancers, or programming works by living composers.
She has studied guitar with Dr Jonathan Paget, Dr Melissa Fitzgerald, Dr Duncan Gardiner, Professor Allan Neave, and Matthew McAllister, 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 writing music for multiple developments of Enneagon Movement’s Ignorance Was Bliss, participating in the first development of Stratified Knowing with Bethany Reece in 2020 (supported by Regional Arts Australia), and having her solo bassoon work don’t hold your breath recorded and premiered by Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s Cerys Ambrose-Evans (in collaboration with Red Note Ensemble).
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 at 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 currently based in Glasgow, where is undertaking a Master's of Music Performance at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow.
Abbey is an Aussie guitarist, composer, and teacher. Her artistic practice is people-centred, whether through collaborating with composers to create new music, working alongside other instruments in chamber settings, writing music for and performing alongside dancers, or programming works by living composers.
She has studied guitar with Dr Jonathan Paget, Dr Melissa Fitzgerald, Dr Duncan Gardiner, Professor Allan Neave, and Matthew McAllister, 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 writing music for multiple developments of Enneagon Movement’s Ignorance Was Bliss, participating in the first development of Stratified Knowing with Bethany Reece in 2020 (supported by Regional Arts Australia), and having her solo bassoon work don’t hold your breath recorded and premiered by Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s Cerys Ambrose-Evans (in collaboration with Red Note Ensemble).
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 at 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 currently based in Glasgow, where is undertaking a Master's of Music Performance at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow.
