Naomi McGillivray

Biography

Born in Aberdeenshire (2000), Naomi's musical journey began age seven studying the piano.

At the age of 12, she gravitated towards percussion, and continued to study it throughout

secondary school and into university. Studying at the University of Glasgow, on the

BMus programme, Naomi developed a knowledge of a wide variety of musical areas

including performance, under the tutelage of Iain Sandilands, and composition with

Dr Jane Stanley, Dr Drew Hammond and Dr Iain Findlay-Walsh.

She graduated in the summer of 2022 with a 2.1 BMus Hons degree, receiving a first in her

composition folio.

​

Naomi has experience performing solo and with several different ensembles. She was selected for the percussion section in the National Youth Wind Ensemble of Scotland in 2017 and regularly performs with Bon Accord Silver Band. In 2020, Naomi took over the management of the University of Glasgow Percussion Ensemble - arranging and conducting all their music for concerts throughout her third and fourth years.

Naomi has an affinity for community music and works as a freelance workshop musician around Scotland. She regularly worked as an Assistant Musician in 2022/23 for sound's Get Creative programme with primary aged children in creative music-making and led sessions in graphic scores and improvisation. Collaborating with other creatives, she has worked in primary schools around Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire to deliver sessions in composition, and freelances with Soundplay Projects to deliver interactive installation sessions for children with Additional Support Needs.

​

Naomi was awarded first prize for her composition 'Sounds of the Day' in the CoMA x KNM Campus Ensemble Competition 'Composing for all and by all' which will premiere in Berlin in November 2023 and will be published in the CoMA library. She is currently working on her portfolio of compositions at University, focusing on the relationships between Scots poetry that explores the themes of landscape and nature, and music, and would be happy to write for any specific ensemble that may want to use this music for performance.

​

Naomi will be continuing her studies in September 2023, undertaking an MMus Composition at the University of Edinburgh kindly supported by The Cross Trust.

​