A former Croesyceiliog School pupil has been accepted to study at a prestigious music college in New York.
Alex Courtney recently received her acceptance letter from Berklee NYC to join their Creative Media and Technology Masters in Live Music Production and Design.
The 23-year-old has launched a fundraiser to help cover the costs of living and studying in one of the most expensive cities in the world.
She told Cwmbran Life that she was “that kid who was always in the music department”.
After leaving Croesyceiliog, she studied at Cardiff’s Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama before moving to London and going to the BIMM Music Institute.
She’s been working behind-the-scenes with crews putting on touring shows in London and Cardiff. The only people she told about her application to America were her mum and dad and she admitted being “gobsmacked” at being successful.
Alex described the course as: “When you go and and see a show in a stadium, it’s everything that’s not the songs that you hear. It’s the stage design, the videos, the audio visual.”
‘A whirlwind’
Since accepting the offer, she said everything has been “a bit of a whirlwind” and she “couldn’t believe the amount of support” so far.
Berkley NYC has close links with shows on Broadway and other music venues, giving its students a unique experience on its course.
She is a fan of Guinness and is encouraging support to donate the price of a pint to help her.
Donate to Alex’s fundraiser
Visit Alex’s GoFundMe page to donate and read more about her story.