Beth Higham-Edwards

Biography

Beth is a percussionist who works in theatre and contemporary music. Her recent projects include Inala (West End and international tour), Amadeus and Common at The National Theatre and Othello, Macbeth, and Henry V (dep) at Shakespeare’s Globe. Beth collaborated with director Tom Hughes to create Daughters of the Sun in 2018 for which she composed the music, acted and played percussion/keys, and helped create the script.

Beth has worked as a session artist for mercury prize winning Alt J (Infectious Music), composers Charlotte Harding (Nonclassical) and Cheryl Frances-Hoad (Champs Hill Records) and has performed with Grammy nominated Bring me the Horizon, Alter Bridge, and folk singer Fionn Regan. She is a founding member of the all-female percussion group Beaten Track Ensemble where she performed to critical acclaim in the Tate Modern’s Alexander Calder exhibition Performing Sculpture. She appeared on BBC Radio 3 In Tune and Music Matters with the group. They are making two appearances at Wigmore Hall in 2020.

Beth has started her own initiatives surrounding gender equality for instrumentalists in classical music. She conducted data collection and held a roundtable discussion at the Wigmore Hall in March 2019 and has since delivered masterclasses at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Guildhall School of Music and Drama and has been appointed Project Manager (Instrumentalists) at SWAP’ra (Supporting Women and Parents in Opera). Beth have spoken on panels at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Royal College of Music, Classical:NEXT in Rotterdam, and has delivered provocations in Aix en Provence and London as part of the International Community Arts Academy – a collective of 15 emerging artists selected by the London Symphony Orchestra, Berliner Philharmoniker and Festival d’Aix en Provence

Beth teaches percussion at Junior Trinity Laban and is also a workshop facilitator and educator. She has recently worked with the Wigmore Hall, London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Opera House Bridge, London Chamber Orchestra, Snape Maltings, BBC Proms Learning, London Music Masters and Creative Futures. Beth trained as a Trainee Music Leader with Spitalfields Music 2014-15.