Peterborough grandmother and composer to see her name listed alongside Mozart and Bach on exam syllabus
At an age when many consider slowing down, Peterborough grandmother and part-time classical composer Joanna Borrett is just getting started - and now her music will be studied alongside the likes of Bach, Mozart, and Elgar.
Trinity College London has selected three of her works for its prestigious music exam syllabus, so her music may hit the right note for next year’s students.
A professional cellist, Joanna composed her first song at age 61 – but it took her four years to pluck up the courage to submit her work to music companies.
Now at age 68, her music has achieved extraordinary recognition in such a short space of time, including:
● Her orchestral piece ‘Clan’ was performed by the Duchess of Edinburgh’s string orchestra at royal investitures in Holyrood Palace.
● Three of her string works are now part of the world-renowned Trinity exam syllabus.
● Her compositions have been featured on BBC Radio 3, Magic Classical, and even selected as Video of the Day by Gramophone.
● ‘Clan’ was also chosen as Album of the Weekend by Scala Radio, receiving praise for its "ravishing beauty" and "emotional depth."
“I never imagined I’d be starting a new career in my sixties,” Joanna said. “But teaching myself to improvise and gradually developing the confidence to compose has been truly liberating. I feel more aligned with my work now than I ever have before.”
Joanna’s story is not only about music — it’s about perseverance, curiosity, and passion.
After a 20-year break from performing as a professional cellist, she returned determined to do things differently. From running her own professional string orchestra in Peterborough in the 1980s to now collaborating with emerging talent at the Royal College of Music, she has continually redefined what’s possible.
Her journey is also deeply personal. The first piece she ever composed, ‘Morning Prelude’, was written seven years ago to comfort her newborn twin grandsons. From that moment, she discovered the transformative power of melody has continued to compose music from the heart.
"They were so tiny and vulnerable and I just wanted to write a piece to comfort them, and reassure them the world was going to be a wonderful place for them,” she said.
It was only four years ago that Joanna first submitted her work to national music companies – making the success she has achieved in that time, all the more impressive.
"The response has been a real surprise, and very exciting,” she said.
“When I see my name listed alongside world-famous composers in the Trinity syllabus, I feel thrilled, but I still struggle to believe it.
“I would love to encourage others not to be put off by society’s expectations of age and treat this stage of working life the same as any other.”
Joanna’s inclusion in the Trinity music syllabus marks a significant milestone. Her piece Ceilidh (the fourth movement of Clan) has been selected for the Grade 4 viola syllabus, while both One Morning and Ceilidh (the first and fourth movements of Clan) appear in the Grade 5 and 6 cello syllabuses. The Trinity exams take place throughout the year and candidates perform selected pieces along with scales, sight-reading, and aural test.
“The syllabus lists mainly feature famous composers like Bizet, Boccherini, Elgar, Dvořák, Mozart, Copland, Purcell, Handel, Bridge, Gershwin, MacMillan, Bach, Lloyd Webber, and Corelli,” she explains. “It’s wonderful to see Trinity making space for newer voices and I’m truly honoured to be one of them.”
And while Joanna’s debut song album Moments of Freedom arrives this autumn, she views it as just one milestone in a much larger mission: to show that music — and ambition — can thrive at any age.