Living the dream
When Jorja Chalmers was a student at the Conservatorium, her ambitions were modest - she just wanted to work in music. Today, she tours the world as Bryan Ferry's saxophonist of choice.
Jorja Chalmers before a concert at Hampton Court in London.
Jorja Chalmers (BMusStud 鈥�04) is in her Berlin hotel room when I call her over Skype. It鈥檚 mid-morning there, and Jorja is surprisingly fresh-faced and friendly for someone whose day job is really a night job that can extend to all hours. With sun streaming through the window, she laughs as she recalls her years at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, 2000-04.
鈥淚 was a rock鈥檔鈥檙oll chick in a classical environment鈥� she says. 鈥淚 was a bit out of my depth the whole time I was there, but in a way that sort of suited me.鈥�
Chalmers is a classically trained saxophonist who now tours the world with Bryan Ferry 鈥� of Roxy Music fame 鈥� and his band. After Berlin, the tour will take her to Denmark, Sweden, France, Spain, and coast to coast in the United States. It鈥檚 鈥渢he dream gig鈥�, she tells me. 鈥淗onestly, when I was at the Conservatorium, I thought I might be a music teacher. Sometimes I can鈥檛 believe I get to do this.鈥�
So was she a good student, I ask? Jorja laughs. 鈥淚 could have been better. I always did really well with the practical exams, but with the theory 鈥� not so much.鈥�
Born in Sydney鈥檚 northern beaches, Chalmers is a long way from home 鈥� she now lives in London, a far cry from that back-up career as a sax teacher. So how does a girl who says she came to play the sax 鈥渁lmost by accident鈥� end up with one of the most coveted gigs in the world?
鈥淢y mother was a singer in a country band,鈥� says Jorja. 鈥淎nd my Dad was always very musical. He built his own sound system, and he was always listening to really diverse music 鈥� everything from Pink Floyd and the Doors to Jimmy Hendrix, Kraftwerk and David Bowie. And classical, too 鈥� he introduced me to works like Rachmaninoff鈥檚 鈥楾he Rock鈥�. I just loved that.鈥�
Jorja had this incredible drive. She wanted to do well, and I'm not at all surprised that she has.
Chalmers was just 13 when she taught herself to play piano using the sheet music for the soundtrack to the film The Piano. Soon after, she picked up the sax. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 really know why,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t was early high school, and I really wanted to join a band. It could have been any instrument,鈥� she says, 鈥淚 just wanted to play. I loved it.鈥�
At high school, a teacher, who was studying at the Conservatorium herself, encouraged Chalmers to apply for a place. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 really think I had a shot,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 hadn鈥檛 been playing for that long compared to other students.鈥� Her teacher cautioned her that the audition might be nerve-wracking, and it was. But Chalmers also felt a strong determination, 鈥淭hat was a big sign to me that I was on the right path 鈥� it just felt like the right thing to do.鈥�
Though she jokingly says she was an 鈥渁wful鈥� student during her time at the Conservatorium, her teacher, Christina Leonard (BMus 鈥�96 MPerf 鈥�99 DipLangStud 鈥�03), remembers it rather differently. 鈥淪he always worked so hard,鈥� says Leonard, who has taught at the Conservatorium for more than 20 years. 鈥淪he had this incredible drive. She wanted to do well, and I鈥檓 not at all surprised that she has.鈥�
After that study, Chalmers taught the sax to high school students but soon found she had itchy feet. She landed in London in 2004 and joined New Wave band Hotel Motel while temping in PR agencies by day. 鈥淚 was having a ball,鈥� she says. But one morning after a Hotel Motel gig, Chalmers saw a message on MySpace. 鈥淚t was Bryan Ferry鈥檚 PA, asking me to come and play for him.鈥� She did, and she鈥檚 been on the road ever since.
Ferry has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide (including his work with Roxy Music) and was made a Commander of the British Empire in 2011 for his contribution to music. He tours almost constantly, meaning that Chalmers is one of those rare musicians who is always working. 鈥淚鈥檓 extremely lucky,鈥� she says, 鈥渂ecause I get to tour with Bryan and then come home and make my own music in London.鈥�
On stage during Bryan Ferry's most recent tour.
Ferry, says Chalmers, is 鈥渁n incredible songsmith鈥�, whose professionalism and creativity have continued to school her, long after she graduated from the Conservatorium. From her first gig with the band at the iconic London nightclub, Annabel鈥檚, to the present day, Chalmers says she鈥檚 always motivated by Ferry鈥檚 attention to detail. 鈥淭he standard of his performances is so high,鈥� she says. 鈥淵ou really have to push yourself to keep up.鈥�
Though she didn鈥檛 study composition at the Conservatorium, Chalmers now says she wishes she had, as writing is her 鈥渢rue passion鈥�. When she鈥檚 at home with husband Alistair Renn (also a musician, and owner of the record label VIVOD) and their young daughters, Olive and Audrey, Chalmers composes music for soundtracks.
鈥淩ight now, I鈥檓 working on a Synth Wave project. It鈥檚 nostalgic soundscapes that work for drama, horror and sci-fi, stuff like that,鈥� she says, adding that her ultimate goal would be to compose dramatic soundtracks, 鈥淢y classical training makes it natural for me to write that way.鈥�
After 10 years on the road with Ferry and side gigs with the Ting Tings, Patrick Wolf and 90s boy band Take That (鈥淭hey started doing their synchronised dancing鈥t was a bit different from working with Bryan 鈥� he鈥檚 such a cool cat!鈥�), Chalmers says the buzz of performing never gets old.
鈥淲e鈥檝e played for 200 people, we鈥檝e played for 70,000 people. On every level, it鈥檚 just an amazing feeling.鈥� Does she ever get nervous, I ask? 鈥淲ell, the 70,000-person gig, yeah,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut it still feels very comfortable for me, very natural. I couldn鈥檛 do it night after night if it didn鈥檛.鈥�
Written by Lauren Sams
Photography by Neil Turner
