Profile

Musical direction, a life in theatre.

Gemma’s artistic identity as a musical director and pianist has been shaped by a wide range of theatrical influences and experiences. What began as an early connection to theatre found direction through music, and has grown into the professional path she follows today.

Where it began

While her work now places her at the heart of major theatre productions, the roots of that career go back to a childhood spent around theatre and music. Growing up in a theatrical family, Gemma was surrounded by rehearsals, classes and performances early on. Theatre was part of everyday life and over time she became as fascinated by how a production worked as by the performance itself.

She would go to the front of the auditorium to peer into the orchestra pit, watching the musicians and the conductor at work. Gradually, it became clear that the person responsible for bringing all of that together — the music, the performers, the orchestra — was the musical director. Even then, it felt like a role that connected everything she loved about theatre.

The person responsible for bringing all of that together — the music, the performers, the orchestra — was the musical director.

Building the craft

Gemma trained as an oboist and pianist at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, developing strong musicianship as a soloist, accompanist, and orchestral player. Ensemble playing became a particularly important part of that training: learning how to listen, balance and perform as a group. At Guildhall, Gemma quickly gravitated towards opportunities to work with actors and theatre productions across the school, shaping her studies around live theatre work wherever possible.

Gemma continued her training at the Royal Academy of Music, becoming the first woman accepted onto the Academy’s prestigious Musical Direction course. There she focused fully on the craft of musical theatre: working closely with singers, learning how to coach vocal performance, and developing the skills needed to lead rehearsals and musical teams. Working with industry leaders such as Mary Hammond helped crystallise something Gemma had long felt instinctively — that the music must carry the storytelling as powerfully as the words or the staging.

The music must carry the storytelling as powerfully as the words or the staging.

Starting out

Early professional experiences quickly reinforced that sense of theatre as something lively, demanding and often unpredictable. Work with British Youth Music Theatre and the Edinburgh Fringe placed Gemma in rehearsal rooms where new productions are built from the ground up, environments full of energy, creativity, and occasional chaos.

When opportunities appeared, she was ready. Stepping on stage at the Menier Chocolate Factory to perform with Andrew Lippa with only a few hours’ notice remains an unforgettable experience: daunting, exhilarating and exactly the kind of moment that reminds you why theatre is such a thrilling place to work.

Touring provided Gemma with her breakthrough from shorter projects to long-running productions. National tours of first Barnum and then Mary Poppins meant learning how to sustain a show over time — not simply giving everything for five nights, but keeping the show on the road, night after night, theatre after theatre, over many months.

Daunting, exhilarating and exactly the kind of moment that reminds you why theatre is such a thrilling place to work.

Gemma in the pit at the Menier Chocolate Factory

With perspective

Taking up her role on Moulin Rouge! The Musical fulfilled a long-held ambition for Gemma. Working in the heart of the West End she is constantly grateful that the productions she once imagined from the auditorium are now part of her working life. As MD of The Snowman Gemma’s story has been brought full circle; turning round from the piano she sees a theatre full of families, and children peering into the pit just as she once had.

Throughout her journey, the excitement that first drew her into theatre has remained constant. Seeing a musical come together still carries the same thrill it did when she first sat in an audience. That sense of shared experience continues to drive her work, and bringing those moments into being remains the most satisfying part of the job.

Gemma was made an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM) in 2026, awarded to alumni who have distinguished themselves in the music profession and made a significant contribution to their field.

Gemma Hawkins conducting The Snowman from the piano