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Kong - Neneh Cherry

Rosie: Work and Ethos

Rosie's schedule is different every day, but high quality music making and playful collaboration is the heart of everything Rosie does! Find her anywhere  from a handpan solo in a field to center stage of a concerto at the Elbphilharmonie, from songwriting in a hospital to conducting a youth orchestra; from backstage at the Royal Shakespeare Company to behind a camera for you Youtube channel everything has an element of joy and fun at all levels. Rosie is a diverse percussionist, handpan player and workshop leader with experience in multiple different settings... find out more!

Rosie Bergonzi is a classically trained percussionist, graduating from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama as a Master of Music, before receiving a fellowship. She is now an active and versatile percussionist, with theatre performances including Romeo & Juliet(2024)  As You Like It (2023) and Richard II(2019) at Shakespeare's Globe; Pericles, Two Gentlemen of Verona (2024) The RSC; Insurrection (2023) Royal Opera House; Billy and The Beast(2021) Britten Sinfonia. MD of Typical Girls (2021) Sheffield Crucible and Deptford Creek(2022) Cutty Sark. She loves playing Pop music, with world tours with singers Neneh Cherry (2018-2020) and Celeste (2021-Present) and Loyle Carner(2023). Rosie is an accomplished solo performer with a series of solo recitals at The Barbican; Hangout UK; PanOz; and Canaries Handpan Festival. She loves playing orchestrally, with BBC Proms with Chineke! Orchestra and Aurora Orchestra; and is a founding member of ensembles Beaten Track and Boubakiki and PortaBanda.
 
She first heard a busker play the Handpan in London 2014. 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. 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 and made history in 2024 with the first ever Handpan concerto, written by Cassie Kinoshi and performed with Chineke! Orchestra.


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, Southbank, 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.

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