All that jazz
Above: Aruhan Dawes
Above: Aruhan Dawes
1. Tell me about yourself
I'm 15 years old. I'm Half Kazakh half English. I'm a music scholar at the King's School Canterbury and although I've just moved to Canterbury, I’ve lived in Kent for three years now.
I live with my mum, step-dad, two step sisters and little brother. My dad is a very well known Kazakh virtuoso violinist. At the moment he lives in Kazakhstan, but he has just set up the first-ever Indian Symphony Orchestra, so he has a base in Mumbai. My mum is a flautist and was principal flautist at Opera North in Yorkshire for 12 years before we moved to Kent.
2. What are you doing now?
At the moment I’m recording an album with an absolutely amazing guitarist, Richard Craker, who's also 15. The theme is very jazzy, but it has quite a lot of other influences too. We are doing covers and also our own material, so it's a very enjoyable experience. I'm also touring around with my dad's orchestra The West Kazakstan Philarmonic, with an album Tlep by Karl Jenkins. It's kind of classical and I recorded it for Sony last year, having been around Kazakhstan and Tokyo and premiering it at The Royal Albert Hall last April. It was amazing to perform in, but it's very hard work as I also have school to concentrate on.
3. What are your ambitions for the future?
I'd love to go into theatre/musicals. The King's School just did a run of Les Miserables where I played Eponine in the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury and loved every minute of it. I adore Musicals, maybe even as much as jazz!
4. What’s the best thing about living in Kent?
Waking up every morning to see the Canterbury Cathedral from out of my window.
5. Where do you like to go out in your area?
I love going to the little coffee shops with my friends, or just sit in a park and listen to music.
6. What are your hobbies and interests?
I absolutely adore jazz, especially the 1930s and 1950s era - Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday are my idols. I’m also into singers like Amy Winehouse and Christina Aguilera because they both have such unique voices. I play double bass, piano and guitar, and I love to jam with other people. It’s nice if I get time on my own to just escape from everything and play on my baby grand, or my guitar. I make up a lot of songs when I get the time. I'm also really into theology and the concept of religions because my teacher, Mr. Whyte, is fantastic. But my main thing is my music, it takes up my life.
7. What was the last book you read?
The phantom of the opera, a gothic novel by Gaston Leroux, beautifully written, absolutely thrilling.
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