Aysha was born in Calgary, Canada, but moved to Hong Kong with her family until age five, when her family moved to Edmonton, Canada, where she began learning flute. Over the next several years, she took up many other instruments, including viola, bass guitar, accordion, piano and guitar, but flute remained her first love.
At age seven, she entered her first music competition. There was no category for her, so she had to enter the 14 and under division. She played accompanied by her friend and neighbour Stewart MacDougall, former keyboard player for kd lang, Ian Tyson and the Great Western Orchestra, who subsequently became her piano teacher. She won two first places and received a scholarship. Since then, she has won 27 first places and 14 scholarships. At age ten, she won the Alberta 16 and under woodwind finals, winning the Molstad plaque and scholarship.
At eight years old, she was accepted by Shelley Younge of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra as her youngest ever student. She quickly progressed under her guidance and by the time she was 10, was able to play university level pieces.
In January 2005, in the aftermath of the Asian tsunami, she asked her parents if she could somehow raise some money for the victims.
She decided to ask Shelley Younge if she could help organise a little classical concert in a church. She then asked another neighbour, bassist Ron Rault, if he could help as well and Higher Ground was born. The Francis Winspear Centre for Music, Edmonton's symphony hall, agreed to donate their facility. Aysha began calling musicians, and with the addition of producer Gary Koliger and many others, the concert was a resounding success, raising over $700,000.
Aysha decided that since she had made so many friends doing this, in the media, the music world and among the public, she would try another show the next year. Alongside friend and musical partner Bill Bourne, she got together with Edmonton charity Change For Children to put on a 30th anniversary show, also at the Winspear. Once again, the cream of Alberta talent turned out in support and the event was a great success. The same year, Aysha again raised significant funds for earthquake relief in Java, alongside Bill Bourne, Maria Dunn and Terry Morrison.
Aysha has also been fortunate enough to study under some of the foremost musicians in the classical and roots worlds over the years. The highlights have been classes with Peter Lloyd, Philippe Bernold, Vincent Lucas, Harrie Starrevald, Maxence Larrieu, Peter Lukas-Graf, Paddy Keenan, Marten Root, Chris Norman, Jean Michel Veillon and Kevin Crawford. All of them have influenced her musical path.
Aysha has been privileged to share a stage with such internationally known musicians as Chumbawamba, K'naan, Seth Lakeman, Damien Dempsey, Teddy Thompson, Baka Beyond, Mighty Popo, Jayme Stone and Mansa Sisoko, N'didi Onukwolu, Eric Bibb and the McDades, among many others. She has appeared at music festivals and concerts across Canada.
Aysha was invited to study at the Amsterdam Conservatory by Prof. Marten Root, an internationally renowned baroque flutist. She studied there under Marten Root and Harrie Starreveld in 2007 - 2008. She returned to Canada to take up a place at the Glenn Gould School of Music in Toronto in September 2008. She is currently studying with Kathleen Rudolph and Alison Melville. This summer she appeared live on the CBC with Mighty Popo, Jayme Stone and Mansa Sisoko and Bill Bourne and Madagascar Slim, She also appeared onstage as a guest of Toronto band Broken Social Scene and is currently working on her own original songs for a future CD. She appears on Madagascar Slim's new CD 'Good Life, Good Living' and is a member of his live band.
Most recently, Aysha was accepted as the youngest Bachelor's degree student at the Glenn Gould School at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. She began her degree in 2010 at age 16. After one year, she moved to Amsterdam, where she is currently pursuing a double major in modern and early flute under Profs. Marten Root and Harrie Starreveld. She holds both flute and piccolo chairs in the National Student Orchestra of The Netherlands (http://www.nso.nl/about-the-nso.html).
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