Graduation extra: Sam's solo spotlight at the Royal Albert Hall

Third-year EEE student and accomplished viola player Samuel Tan has had a truly memorable week, performing at five Imperial graduation ceremonies.

Our corner of London is home to world-class museums, cultural institutes and scientific organisations, including The Royal Albert Hall, one of the world's most famous concert halls.

For Imperial students, graduating in this iconic building is a highlight, and for Sam, taking part has marked not just a musical career milestone, but a meaningful way to connect with the Imperial community's most special traditions, as a musician and a fellow student.

As one of Imperial's Ash Music Scholars, undergraduate Sam has the opportunity to have lessons at the Royal College of Music with teacher Bryony Gibson-Cornish. He is currently lead viola with the Imperial College Symphony Orchestra, and regularly performs with other orchestras in and around London.

Sam won Imperial's concerto competition last November, playing Bartok's Viola Concerto. For the Graduation ceremonies he played the virtuosic 3rd movement from Henri Casadesus' Viola Concerto in C minor, on an 1897 Antoniazzi viola on loan from Florian Leonhard Fine Violins.

Multi-talented engineers

Our department is home to many talented musicians, and Sam is not the first EEE student to take to the stage at Graduation.

Last year James Taylor – then a third year undergraduate – gave a brilliant performance of Pequeña Czarda by Pedro Iturralde on alto saxophone.

"Joy, nervousness, excitement"

This moment is the culmination of many students' hard work and dedication and I am glad to celebrate that. Sam Tan

Asked what it’s like to perform at the Royal Albert Hall, Sam said: "It's surreal. I was speaking with people on the security team listing the range of personalities who have been in this dressing room and it's an incredibly illustrious list. At the same time, there's a deep sense of gratitude for all the people who have helped me along the way, and this is an opportunity for me to express my thanks."

With a moment to reflect on the experience, after playing in front of thousands of graduands, supporters and staff across the two days of ceremonies, he says it has all been incredibly meaningful:

"I know how much graduation means to everyone involved, and it is a tremendous opportunity to be part of this special day for so many people – the graduating students, the families, and the people working so hard behind the scenes to make everything happen. This moment is the culmination of many students' hard work and dedication and I am glad to celebrate that. I hope the graduating students have made many meaningful and memorable memories over the past few days."

And for any future performers dreaming of that RAH moment? Sam's advice: "Enjoy the process. There will be a lot of feelings stepping on stage – joy, nervousness, excitement – and they're all very valid and natural feelings, so allow yourself to connect with your emotions and feel them deeply. Every day's only 24 hours long, and it's not a long time before the performance becomes a memory, so treasure every moment of it."