It was a pleasure to welcome Putney alumna, Emily Hazrati, back to school virtually today to speak to our students and give a songwriting masterclass.

Emily left Putney in 2016 and has since gone on to study music at both Oxford and Cambridge universities, and is currently a student at the Guildhall, where she is composing an opera.

Alongside her composing, Emily is working on many projects such as a writing a solo guitar piece for BBC Radio Three presenter Tom McKinney and collaborating on an art installation to light up London’s bridges. Emily stressed the importance of having many projects on the go, as she told the students, many songwriters do not make their money from writing alone.

Emily spoke to the students about the process of songwriting. She said;

“I always look to text for some sort of inspiration, whether that comes in the form of an image or an emotion.”

She discussed the similarities between all kinds of writing, be it prose, poetry or songwriting, saying;

“Songwriting can be such a personal thing and a great way of nurturing the relationship between feeling and text.”

The students were able to pick Emily’s brains and interact during the workshop.

We wish Emily the best of luck with her ventures and can’t wait to be able to welcome her physically into school once restrictions ease.