Rosie Bergonzi

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 fellowship the following year. She is now an active musician, with theater performances including Romeo and Juliet; As You Like It and Richard II at Shakespeare's Globe; Pericles at the RSC;  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 and Celeste. 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

 

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. 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 performed a Handpan Concerto to be performed in summer 2024 with the Chineke! Orchestra written by Cassie Kinoshi

​

She has a strong interest in non-western traditions, with training in Ghanaian drumming; Latin percussion (salsa and samba); Middle Eastern frame drums and cajon. ​Rosie enjoys playing improvised music with various improv troupes and is the resident percussionist with Dreamweaver Quartet.

​

She is a founding member of ensembles Beaten Track - percussion ensemeble,  and Boubakiki  - handpan and saxophone and PortaBanda - double handpan duo.