University of Mary Washington senior Mima Manton decided at a young age that she was going to study music. Many members of her family were choral singers, her uncle played trombone, her sister learned flute and cello, and like her mother, Mima took up piano, flute, and bassoon.
When it came time to go to college, Mima wasn’t sure where she wanted to go, but she did feel ready to spread her wings and fly far from home.
“I always knew I wanted to study internationally,” said Mima, who hails from the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield in England. A family friend helped her research American schools that offered music scholarships, which led her to UMW. “I loved the size of Mary Washington, and after a Zoom meeting with all the music professors, I knew it was the right place for me.”
Mima has since hit all the high notes, majoring in music and joining a slew of ensembles, including the UMW Philharmonic and woodwind chamber trio Aquila Venti. She can often be found at UMW Eagles basketball and volleyball games, serving as assistant director and lead singer with the University’s new pep band. She’s also a member of Mortar Board and the Student Alumni Ambassadors (SAA), welcoming alumni, donors, and friends to events put on by UMW’s Office of Advancement and Alumni Engagement.
“I’m so grateful for the chance to connect with the supporters who invest in our education,” she said at UMW’s Celebration of Giving in November. The recipient of the Henry and Grace Spicer and James E. Baker University Community Orchestra scholarships, she said, “I cannot stress enough that without these awards, I wouldn’t be standing in front of you today.”
Growing up outside of Birmingham, a city halfway between London and Liverpool, Mima took lessons through a music program for schoolchildren.
“I wanted to play clarinet, but I was still missing my two adult front teeth, so I chose flute instead,” said Mima, who later picked up the bassoon. “It’s a less common instrument, which gives me more opportunities to play.”
These opportunities include performing with the UMW Philharmonic, where she serves as principal bassoonist. She earned second place at this year’s UMW Concerto Competition, performing Franz Berwald’s Konzertstück for Bassoon and Orchestra, which she played at the Celebration of Giving with Department of Music Chair and Professor Brooks Kuykendall on piano accompaniment.
“The range of Mima’s abilities is staggering,” Dr. Kuykendall said. “She does it all and at a very high level. She will leave us with a void when she graduates — but that will give a number of students the opportunity to step in to her various shoes.”
Mima has explored both the performance and production side of music at Mary Washington, taking courses in music history, theory, and sound and audio recording. In addition to enhancing her gifts as a musician and singer, they’ve helped her make and produce her own music for Spotify, showcasing a range of influences like Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse, Jessie J, and Dua Lipa.
“My musical experiences have developed in ways I could have never imagined,” said Mima, who is thankful for the friendships she’s made through the pep band and other campus activities.
After she graduates, she aspires to work in a recording studio or performance venue. She also recently took the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, an exam that can provide licensure for her to privately teach bassoon and flute. “It took years of preparation, but I wanted to do it for my own personal accomplishment.”
Whatever trajectory her talent takes, one thing’s for sure – serving as an SAA has shown her that she can come home to Mary Washington whenever she wants.
“Seeing alumni who’ve been in my shoes, gone out into the world, and still come back to support their alma mater has been truly inspiring,” Mima said. “Even though I’ll miss it, I hope to do the same. UMW will always hold a special place in my heart.”
Learn more about establishing scholarships and how private support makes a difference in the lives of UMW students who receive scholarships, research fellowships, and internship grants.
– Article by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04
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