Celebrating the life of Raymi Willka Saldana Rojas
15 April 2010 - 28 July 2024
On Monday 23 September we said goodbye to one of our young musicians, Raymi Willka, a talented young flautist and pianist from Music Education Islington, who very sadly lost his life over the summer while on holiday in The Netherlands. Our CEO, Chrissy Kinsella, was honoured to be invited by Raymi’s parents to say a few words about him at his funeral, alongside other teachers and music education specialists who supported him. Although an incredibly sad occasion, the funeral was an extraordinary celebration of Raymi’s life, filled with vibrancy, love and music. Below are her words.
From left to right: Islington Scholars Yerim, Peter, Raymi and Sophia with saxophonist Jess Gillam at the Royal College of Music, October 2021.
Raymi first became a Scholar with the London Music Fund through Music Education Islington in 2021. He was nominated to us through his primary school as being an exceptionally talented musician.
Having already reached Grade 4 on the flute while still at primary school, and much of this learning taking place online during the pandemic, Raymi’s talent and commitment to music was evident, and we were delighted to offer him a four-year Scholarship in September 2021, to support his learning.
In the initial nomination form his teacher wrote:
“Raymi simply has a gift for music. His musicianship is excellent and he clearly loves this subject. In lessons and assemblies he shines and he regularly takes on the challenge of solo work. During lockdown learning, Raymi wrote a song, which was extremely well written and performed. Raymi has participated enthusiastically in whole-school productions, assemblies, class performances and extra-curricular activities; his natural aptitude for the subject and passion for music generally has been evident throughout.”
In the three years that followed we got to know Raymi and his family as he attended a number of our workshops and playing days and was obviously incredibly committed and hardworking. He was a delight to be around, supportive of other children, friendly, happy, and clearly absolutely devoted to his flute. You could just tell from spending time with him that music was a fundamental part of who he was. He took part in several of our workshops with professional musicians including the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, and saxophonist Jess Gillam, at venues such as the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music. We were especially delighted that he was able to take part on in our 10th Anniversary Celebration at the Queen Elizabeth Hall attended by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, where, with other children from our 2021 cohort, they opened the concert to rapturous applause.
Raymi was becoming an incredible young musician. He was working towards his Grade 8 – a remarkable achievement. He was a wonderful young man, and he shone in everything he did. We send all our love and strength to everyone who knew and loved him, and we will miss him enormously.
Chrissy Kinsella, CEO
23 September 2024