Dawn started playing violin at age 13 and was successful in winning a place in Staffordshire Youth Orchestra just 2 years later. In the same year, 1978, she joined the forerunner of our present orchestra, the Old Marian’s Orchestra. She has remained a member of this orchestra throughout the years, through its transition to Walsall Symphony Orchestra with only 2 short breaks.

Dawn followed a nursing career after leaving school, training at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, but she always dreamed of pursuing her passion for music.

In her late 30s Dawn returned to university to read music as a full-time student achieving a BA(Hons)Music 2:1 degree. She then taught as a peripatetic string teacher for Staffordshire Performing Arts for 5 years whilst also continuing her nursing on a part-time basis.

Over the years Dawn has played with several orchestras such as Lichfield Sinfonia, Halesowen Orchestra and more recently Solihull Symphony Orchestra and the Kimichi Orchestra with whom she travelled to, and played in Prague. She was also a member of the Classique String Quartet.

Dawn has enjoyed playing ‘in the pit’ for many shows over the years: Oliver, Jekyll and Hyde, Guys and Dolls, West Side Story, Annie, Sound of Music, Into the Woods to name but a few.