Nadia Balbontin-Ponce | TrinityTalent 2020

Nadia was selected by TrinityTalent for a Special Mention, celebrating her musical and personal journey with Classical and Jazz. 

17-year-old Nadia was nominated for TrinityTalent 2020 for her progress in Classical and Jazz. She completed her Classical and Jazz qualification digitally due to Covid-19. She attained Grade 6 distinction in Piano.

Nadia was nominated by Angelus Marr, her teacher. Angelus said: "For her contribution to my students' summer video concert, Nadia created a piece of artwork featuring an astronaut and a rocket, which depicts the journey she imagined for the piece. Whereas some students might stereotypically go on to prepare for Grade 7 after their Grade 6 exam, Nadia has chosen instead to cover NEW ground - such as playing by ear, experimenting with jazz improvisation, daring to film her playing, and exploring songs with personal meaning. As a teacher, personal relevancy and practical skills feel vital to me and Nadia has shown an exciting progression of personal development."

The Trinity judges agreed, stating: "Nadia showed determination in her art form, pushing herself to explore whole new areas. Her work isn't defined by traditional musical boundaries; exploring all styles and genres is an excellent way to help reach her musical potential."


How has your Trinity College London qualification influenced your progress with your art? 

It has given me confidence and helped me motivate myself to continue practising developing my skills and ideas. It has also helped me further engage myself to learn about music, specifically composing and experimenting with producing music.

Has taking part in a Trinity qualification helped you to develop wider skills?  

Participating has helped me get out of my comfort zone and improve my creativity skills; continuing from my Grade 5 exam, when I started composing my first piece 'Bird Flying Through the Clouds'.

Please tell us how you found the experience of recording a digital submission for music?

By not being able to do my exam in front of an examiner it was very different from the usual process. However, I was able to improve my editing video skills which I believe is essential this year, for all artists in any art form. Sending the exam application was done with ease, as Trinity specified how to enter very well.

Would you like to tell us anything about the challenges you’ve faced this year, and how you’ve overcome them to achieve your qualification? 

This year I thought it was more difficult to motivate myself to continue practising, but with the aim to send the application for the exam I was able to push myself. During Grade 6, I found it hard to grasp the technical aspects, but with determination, perseverance and lots of practice, I was able to overcome these difficulties, achieving distinction in Grade 6. 

What are the next steps for you following your qualification?

As I’m preparing for my A-levels, I’m taking a break from grade qualifications to focus on my studies, but I would also like to achieve my Grade 7 later in the future. At the moment, I will continue to improve my music knowledge and skills. Recently, I have begun to experiment with producing music using software, so I’m looking forward to continuing learning about producing and composition. 

What are your career aims?

Next year, hopefully, I am going to university to study computer science, but in the future within music, I would like to continue learning and creating music, for myself and hopefully be able to share with others.

Have you got any advice for other young people working towards a Trinity qualification or Arts Award?

Don’t give up! No matter what obstacles you approach, there will always be a way to carry on forward and overcome these problems – this also goes with life. In addition, in the last year, I have discovered that the motto ‘practise makes progress’ is very true, piano practice is vital if you want to develop your playing skills, so always continue and try your best!


Read more about the talented young people selected to be featured as part of the TrinityTalent Class of 2020.

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Trinity Talent

Trinity Talent

TrinityTalent celebrates talented young people achieving Trinity’s music, drama and Arts Award qualifications in the UK.

Teachers and students can nominate young artists aged 13-25 who have shown excellence in one of the following categories during 2021: CREATIVE FLAIR | PROGRESS | LEADERSHIP

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