Davina is a Birmingham based musician specialising in voice. Her work includes solo and choral singing, work as a vocal coach and animateur, teaching singing and early years music, songwriting and community music projects.

 

Davina graduated as a Mezzo-Soprano from Birmingham Conservatoire in 2015 with a 1st Class Hons. degree having previously acquired an ATCL with Distinction at Junior Trinity Laban Conservatoire. 

​

As a performer, since graduating Davina has done solo recitals, performed as an alto soloist in oratorio and played a range of characters in professional musicals/operas.

​

As a vocal animateur, Davina is currently working for Welsh National Opera as a branch of their Youth Opera project, providing schools with access to exploring opera skills. This includes preparing children for schools concerts and group performances.

​

Davina was also part of the initial Opera Tutti project created by Welsh National Opera to explore intensive interactive opera opportunities to students with PMLD/SLD (profound and multiple learning disabilities/severe learning dificulties). Davina now also works for Birmingham Music Service as a PMLD/SLD specialist.

​

As a wellbeing musician, Davina works for Parkinson's U.K. South Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield running singing sessions. She has also worked as a Specialist In Music And Emotional Wellbeing at St Matthias School, Wolverhampton. This role required Davina to work closely with the school's educational psychologist and safeguarding officers, picking out vulnerable students who are struggling in their everyday school life and giving them the opportunity to relax, learn and express themselves through creating music. Davina also uses her Story Massage practitioner training to aid musical wellbeing activities wherever possible and won a 'Best Practice' story massage award in 2022 for her work with Parkinson's.

​

As a singing teacher, Davina provides individual and group singing lessons to pupils of all ages and abilities. Davina worked for many years at Stagecoach Halesowen as the main school singing teacher and then drama teacher having previously spent a year working for Stagecoach Solihull. This involves groups of 15-20 children in 3 age groups between 5 and 16 years of age. She is capable of covering any material or style, from pop to musical theatre to classical.

 

In early childhood work, Davina spent her gap year working at Whitstable Montessori Nursery teaching her own music program to children aged 3-5. She then went onto achieve her CME:EC (certificate in music education specialising in early childhood) in 2022 and an Early Years Yoga teaching qualification through Beam Academy in 2023. 

As a conductor, she has run a chamber choir at Birmingham's Kimichi School, open to anyone in the public with an interest in singing. Davina also worked for several years as a vocal coach with Quinton Community Choir and has coached multiple times for the Kent Youth Choirs. Her personal choral singing experience ranges from the Birmingham Conservatoire Chamber Choir, recording professional C.D.s to performances with Birmingham based Ex Cathedra and the CBSO Chorus. Davina also reguarly sings for St Benedict's Parish Church, Birmingham in their chamber choir.

 

As a community musician, Davina has worked on Quench Arts 'Wavelength' project in both group and 1-2-1 settings, helping young adults with mental health conditions to write, perform and record songs. She has also set up her own brand of music sessions called 'Sing For Joy' which take place in care homes and day centres encouraging singing for fun for retired adults. Davina has run several community music projects for large organisations such as Leonard Cheshire's 'Can Do' branch and MAC Makes Music. These encourage young adults to learn a new skill, such as singing in a choir and songwriting.

​

Other past projects include work at Momentum Skills, Birmingham Brain Injury Centre running music sessions to help with stroke rehabilitation and working in several hospitals running music workshops for sick children and young adults with mental health conditions. Davina also set up a community music project in September 2014 which ran until March 2015, where she ran sessions and showcases in Midland Mencap, Hockley Skills and Development Centre and Edgewood Road Childrens Home.