01
Simon Thacker,
BMus (Hons) Music, 2001
As a budding musician what impact did Edinburgh Napier have on you as
a student?
“The University has had a big impact on me and my career. There
aren’t many choices for music students, in terms of having both the
performance element with a good academic component. Napier really
fills that gap.”
What are your favourite memories as a student?
“I was given the opportunity as a student to play with the Chamber Orchestra, working with Napier’s
Composer in Residence, Ken Dempster, who wrote a great concerto for me, premièring at the Queen’s Hall,
Edinburgh. I also had the opportunity to perform solo , in duos and in my Jazz Quintet. My progress was
such that in my final year I was invited by BBC Radio 3 to play live on In Tune.”
Who was your favourite lecturer?
“Anna Butterworth, the Head of School at the time, was inspirational. She was very hands on and built up
personal relationships with her students. It felt like she really did care; her enthusiasm was infectious and
her knowledge second to none.”
Do you keep in contact with classmates?
“I still keep in touch with a lot of classmates. Steven Polwart, who I studied with, is a great friend. Steven
and I played in a duo and many opportunities came from performing together. He was the year above me,
was very proactive and set a really good example. He was highly motivated and that really rubbed off on
me.”
How has your career developed since graduating?
“There have been many performance career highlights. In 2007 a large scale solo tour made a big impact,
getting five stars in the Scotsman and a nomination for a prestigious RPS Award. Ken Dempster composed
another beautiful piece for this. I have composed extensively for my quartet Camerata Ritmata, which also
features Napier’s bass tutor Mario Caribé. In 2009, supported by Creative Scotland, I led the Nava Rasa
Ensemble on tour and in the studio - a massive project that took my career onto the next level.”
“Simon Thacker’s Svara Kanti, my latest ensemble, has had fifty glowing reviews from around the world,
won several awards and been played on over 200 US radio stations. It is the current culmination of many
years of performing and composing which has allowed me to bring disparate musical cultures together in a
way that’s never been done before. You can’t teach that but Napier gives students the opportunities to get
out there and showcase what they can do and that opens doors.”
Tips for graduating students
“Be proactive – don’t stop at what your lecturer gives you. The knowledge I directly impart to my students
should be less than one per cent of what they gain during their studies with me: it is a starting point that
they need to follow to its fullest conclusion. See the possibilities within yourself, you are only limited by
what you can imagine, persevere relentlessly and surround yourself with similarly motivated and ambitious
people.”