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Rosie Bergonzi is a classically trained percussionist, graduating from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2016 as a Master of Music, before receiving a scholarship the following year. She is now an active musician, with theater performances including As You Like It and Richard II at Shakespeare's Globe; Billy and The Beast, an interactive opera with Britten Sinfonia. MD of Typical Girls at the Sheffield Crucible and Deptford Creek at the Cutty Sark. She loves playing Pop music, with world tours with singers Neneh Cherry, Celeste and Loyle Carner. Rosie is an accomplished solo performer with a series of solo recitals at The Barbican; Hangout UK; Panmarco; and Canaries Handpan Festival. She loves playing orchestrally, recently with BBC Proms with Chineke! Orchestra and Aurora Orchestra; and is a founding member of ensembles Beaten Track and Boubakiki and PortaBanda.

 

She came to the handpan in 2014, when she heard a busker play in London, where she lives. It was an instant love affair, as Rosie combined the techniques learned in various forms of hand percussion into something specifically handpan. During the lockdown she started creating tutorials, covers and solo works under Handpan Fundamentals. She received a Royal Philharmonic Society 'Trailblazer' award for her work with the handpan in 2021 and continues to challenge the handpan into unusual areas of music. She has a number of solo records out, available on all streaming platforms. She looks forward to a Handpan Concerto to be performed in summer 2024 with the Chineke! Orchestra written by Cassie Kinoshi

 

In her work as a workshop leader she encourages people to find their voice, especially focused on minority groups who've historically been overlooked in the past Rosie is passionate about creating music in a community setting. She's worked with ENO, Royal Philarhmonic Orchestra, Wigmore Hall, London Rhymes and many other institutions to lead and facilitates workshops including collaborative song-writing and instrumental pieces

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In her spare time Rosie enjoys sport; holding a black belt in Karate (Wado-Ryu) and playing football with her local team 'Bend it like Peckham'. She is currently studying comedy improvisation with the theatre Hoopla and learning French.