A Composer from the Shetland Isles
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biografia

Aden Smith

The Early Years (2000-2009) 

I was born on the 24th of January in the year 2000 in Lerwick which is the capital of Shetland which is the most northern island in Scotland as well as the UK. My early childhood was pretty much the same as many other children. I started to attend Sound Primary School in 2005 which I attended before going to the Anderson High School in the summer of 2012. 

 
 

The start of my musical life (2009-2017) 

In 2009 just after I started Primary 5 at Sound Primary School, I started to learn how to play the piano. I learned about what notes were and how to play them. I did enjoy playing the piano and I still do, even though I'm not the best at it. A year later in 2010, I started playing the Cello. This was where I found my calling as a Musician. I found learning to play the Cello to be an eye opening experience in a musical sense. After I started learning how to play the Cello, I was introduced to the world of orchestra's with the first orchestra I joined being the Shetland Community Training Orchestra (previously known as the Saturday Morning Music Club). While I was part of it, we played for the BBC Ten Pieces in 2016 and 2017, I also took part in an interview for it, unfortunately the clip is no longer available on the BBC Ten Pieces website. Later on when I was more experienced I joined the Shetland Community Orchestra which opened me up to the works of some amazing composers such as Antonin Dvorak's 9th Symphony (New World Symphony) and Johann Sebastian Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor. On one occasion in 2017, I attended a workshop that was run by the Edinburgh String Quartet. 

 
 

Leaving for Aberdeen and joining the Learig Orchestra (2018-) 

After I had finished my time at the Anderson High School, I had to decide what to do next with my life. Before my exams that year, I went down to Aberdeen for an interview to apply for the HND Music course at North East Scotland College which I got into. Months later in August I packed my bags and set off to Aberdeen to begin the next chapter of my life where I have been since. While I have been here, I've composed quite a few pieces of music which have primarily been cello solo pieces. I also joined the Learig Orchestra a few days after I arrived as well, with the Learig Orchestra such as Antonin Dvorak’s Czech Suite, Mikhail Glinka’s Overture for A Life for the Tsar and Robert Schumann’s 2nd Symphony in C Major which were the pieces that we played at our last concert on the 7th of December 2019.  At the moment, I'm just focusing on college and making new pieces that I hope you all enjoy.