Campus Celebrity: Louise Orfila

Name: Louise Alexandra Orfila

Age: 21

Hometown: Folkestone, Kent

Major: Performing Arts

Year: 2012

Why did you choose Performing Arts as a degree? Well I started off doing “Commercial Music” at CCCU in Thanet. The course and people were great but seeing as I was already doing music and performing outside of university, it was almost overkill, so I decided that wasn’t for me and decided to branch out to Southampton University and try the degree in “Performance.” The course was primarily based around acting, however I just didn’t enjoy what I was doing and wasn’t sure if I wanted to do it for three years, so I decided to move back to Folkestone and come along and see the performing arts course. I was offered a place, and have stuck with this course and I am enjoying it.

What made you want to start “Tonality” and your band “Orfila?” I always loved teaching and encouraging young people, no matter what their ability. So I decided to set up “Tonality.” At first it was just going to be a one-off workshop, then it turned into a weekly thing, and I also wanted to teach a mixture of ages, ranging from junior to senior, I also teach singing to all ages. With the band, I started singing when I was 13, and in school I had to write a poem and it turned into a song, so I recorded the song and just carried on from there. My brother and sister were always involved in music as well, and my sister got a gig and didn’t want to do it on her own, so our brother played guitar for us and I sang some harmonies with her to bulk it up, and we went from there. 

What roles do you have to take on with the band? I’m generally quite a shy person but when it comes to professionalism, I’m not so afraid therefore I usually liaise with other contacts and anyone else who might be interested in hearing our music.

In the very small amount of spare time you have, what do you like to do? Cinema. I love going to the cinema it means I can just sit and zone out, in a comfy chair, with popcorn by my side, so it’s all good. If not the cinema then I like going out to eat, you can’t really go wrong with food haha.

What do you want to do after graduation? I would love to go to Nashville to perform or record or both, I just love the atmosphere and it would just be a dream come true. I would also like to get Tonality off its feet again and maybe have a bigger range of workshops. It would also be really cool to be on a west end stage someday.

What would you advise to aspiring artists? Take every opportunity given to you, whether it’s open mike night, playing one song in a festival or for schools. Don’t be afraid to start off small. Also surround yourself with like-minded people, and support others as much as you can.

Louise Orfila is an amazingly talented individual and just from talking to her I’m sure she will achieve everything she wants to much more! 

To find out more about Louise’s projects, check out her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/OrfilaMusic