Introducing... Birikiti Pegram, Trainee Music Leader
This year, RPO Resound launched a new 10-month trainee leadership programme, aiming to develop local musical talent into community workshop leaders, expand the workforce and increase sustainability for our Sound Sanctuary programme. For two musicians with connections to the borough of Brent, the scheme provides mentorship from RPO workshop practitioners, training sessions, and hands-on experience in leadership, observation, and collaboration. We wanted to introduce them to the RPO community in the usual way, and are pleased to announce Birikiti Pegram and Chase Watson as our 2024–25 Brent Trainee Leaders!
How did you become involved with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO)?
I had been looking for more experience and training around music in the community. This scheme came at the perfect time for me, and I am absolutely thrilled to be involved in this aspect of RPO’s work.
What was your first experience of orchestral music?
Three memories stand out from my early life in Zimbabwe:
- Women singing, ululating and dancing at an Eritrean Independence Day party.
- My first ballet performance (as a mouse in Cinderella) with a live orchestra.
- Taking part in my first interschools Eisteddfod with my primary school choir. (I think we came 3rd!)
I am not sure which, if any, was my very first experience of live music. But all three, in different ways, made a huge impression on me as a young child.How did you find yourself on this career journey?
How did you find yourself on this career journey?
I‘ve always had some kind of musical side project on the go, although I was earning a living in web/graphic design.
In January 2024, I joined the Companion Voices singing network and it hit different - the potential power of music for different community contexts. I realised this was the work I really wanted to do long term, and I got more serious about it. Finding this scheme was not just a chance for a formal career change, but a significant step in evolving my true passion and purpose into a real vocation.
What are you most looking forward to about your year in the RPO family?
I have such strong faith in the power of collective musical experiences - for human connection, companionship, healing and wellbeing on physical, emotional and mental levels. So I am really looking forward to seeing that in practice through all the work RPO does for different communities. I have already met some wonderful musicians, workshop leaders, and good people behind the scenes making it all happen. And I am looking forward to learning from and working with them all on what I believe is such a valuable and important mission to make music help!
Do you have any pre-performance rituals?
I like visualising light… Imagine we are all filled with, and surrounded by the same light energy. Maybe it’s a little woo-woo, but I find it helps me feel connected to others and together in the right here right now – even if they aren’t always involved in the ritual!
Must listens – if you had to recommend one artist or composer, who would it be and why?
I've been following a Welsh artist called Ren Gill – a multi-instrumentalist, producer, singer, and ‘modern day bard’. I think his strength is in how he communicates - lyrically, musically, visually, and really honestly about his personal struggles with long-term chronic illness and mental health issues. I think it’s so important and valuable to have voices like his raising awareness and opening conversations, especially for those facing similar barriers.
Symphonic crossover – if you could work with any artist on a performance or project, who would you choose?
I used to work with a Congolese artist called Mulele Matondo, a prolific and versatile performer, composer and African culture specialist. He had an idea for a large-scale ‘guitar orchestra’ composition based on the unique way multiple guitar parts are arranged in old school Rumba Lingala (played by African greats like Dr Nico or Franco Luambo) along with their rousing brass sections... I would love to see that idea come to life.
Away from music tell us two of your favourite hobbies and why they strike such a chord?
I have got really into children’s literature, and my 9-year-old and I are currently devouring every Katherine Rundell book we can get our hands on. She has a recurring theme of children being underestimated by the adults around them. The idea of kids being smart and capable enough to save the world, start revolutions, and rescue loved ones from ruthless villains is inspiring and hopeful in maybe quite dire times the world is going through! I also love art and dabble in illustration. A good story or piece of art can be so transporting – just like music.
Dream dinner party – who would you invite, what would you cook?
I would love to sit down with a bunch of creative mothers and pick their brains on how they juggle creative making and mothering. I feel like it is way harder for women with children to make a living in the arts, especially performing arts, and it is not something I see talked about often enough. I think the gender equality discussion doesn’t go far enough when it comes to women with any full-time caring responsibilities. We would eat Ethiopian food the traditional way – from a giant sharing platter. (I can only cook some of the dishes myself, so my mum and auntie would help with that!)