Tamara earned her Masters of Fine Arts in Film Composition (MFA) in 2008 at University of                                                                                                North Carolina School of The Arts under the tuition of David McHugh (composer of 'Mystic                                                                                                  Pizza', 'Moscow on the Hudson').

 

                                                                                         Tamara has written music for theatre, shorts and feature films, including documentaries and                                                                                                   fiction. Amongst others, she scored the music to ‘Shakespeare in Watts’ directed by the late                                                                                                      Mel Stuart, director of ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’ (1971) which premiered at the Pan                                                                                            African Film Festival in February 2013.

 

                                                                                          Whilst living in the US Tamara composed the music to the BAFTA/LA and Inner City                                                                                                           Shakespeare Ensemble theatre productions of ‘Romeo and Juliet’, ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and                                                                                              ‘Twelfth Night’ in LA as part of an outreach program, which was greatly inspiring. She received an                                                                                           Appreciation Plaque from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Los Angeles                                                                                                         (BAFTA/LA) for her score for ‘Romeo and Juliet’.

 

                                                                                          Before earning her Masters, Tamara received her Bachelor Of Music in Ethnomusicology at City University, London in 2004. Here she studied many instruments which influenced her musical writing, such as African drums, Balinese and Javanese gamelans.

 

From 1993 to 1998, Tamara attended the Junior Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Here she specialised in two main instruments, the cello (grades 7 and 8 with distinction) and the piano, playing at many venues including St John’s Smith Square and The Fairfield Hall, Croydon.

 

She has played cello for various musicians including Knaan, Imperial Mammoth and Toothless and has also sung at The Royal Opera House in Covent Garden in the 1993 productions of Puccini's 'La Boheme', followed by Charles Gounod's 'Romeo and Juliet.'

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Tamara teaches the cello in Stoke Newington, London and is a founding member of Uccelli Strings: https://www.uccellistrings.com

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Testimonials:

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‘Tamara has what we call in the business, ‘it’’ ~ Mel Stuart, director of ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’ on working with Tamara on ‘Shakespeare in Watts’

 

‘Tamara’s music was brilliant, beautifully conceived and so sensitive to the needs of the play. Her attention to detail was outstanding and working with her was an absolute delight.’ ~ Rob Sheppard, Director of The Merry Wives of Windsor, Minack Theatre, Cornwall, August 2016

 

‘Tamara demonstrated a keen sensitivity, supported by an unusual talent for creating the musical contexts that supported the dramatic intentions of each and every film she worked on, regardless of style or genre. She never failed to compose something original, fresh, contemporary, and totally appropriate. Tamara was a gift’ ~ David McHugh, composer of Films such as ‘Mystic Pizza’, and ‘Moscow on the Hudson’, and head of MFA Film Composition at UNCSA.