Up close with: Chambria Dalhouse

(CNS Local Life): Chambria Dalhouse, at age 18, has already accomplished an impressive amount. As a boxer, she has represented the Cayman Islands internationally, taking gold at the 2017 Caribbean Development Championships held in St Lucia, and reaching the quarterfinals that same year at the Youth Commonwealth Games in the Bahamas. She is also a musician, passing her Grade 8 Trinity College exam on the saxophone, and plays in a steel pan band. In 2017, she was recognised with a Proud of Them award for sports. At the moment, she is studying for a bachelor of arts degree in London.

CNS: How have you been able to manage your time to excel in sports, music and academics?

Chambria Dalhouse: I wouldn’t say excelling at my time management but I’m finding a nice balance between exercise, music and my academics, that I am currently enjoying and really helping me get everything in order.

CNS: Who, if anyone, has been your role model and why?

CD: My mum has been my role model because she’s constantly pushing and improving herself and learning to expand her skill set. Even if something gets her off track for a couple days she always jumps back on and keeps going or changes direction to reach her goals.

CNS: How has your involvement with boxing changed/affected your life?

CD: It has taught me discipline which helped me greatly in my music, and steel pan especially, with learning the songs that Mr (Earl) La Pierre teaches us, as the band knows probably 30-plus songs

CNS: You play steel pan and sax; is there anything else? How important is music to you and why?

CD: I only play steel pan and saxophone; however I’m looking to pick up another instrument to give me another perspective of playing and learning and how to approach things. Music is the top thing in my life. I would readily drop anything to go and learn something for a performance or stay up till all hours of the night packing pans away. It’s the most enjoyable thing for me. I enjoy every step of the process and will continue to no matter the situation.

CNS: What are you studying and what are your career goals?

CD: I am studying for a BA (Hon) Music Performance and Production at the London College of Creative Media and I would like to do a bit of everything. At the moment I’m learning all the different aspects of the industry and trying my hand at everything to see what I enjoy and what I don’t.

CNS: You have called yourself an aspiring professional performer and arranger. What instrument would that focus on?

CD: As a performer it would be the saxophone; however, I would like try arranging for different types of ensembles.

CNS: What has been your greatest challenge?

CD: My greatest challenge has been improving myself because as a human you always want more. I constantly find myself wanting to do more and improve on this or that and I’ll always find something else if I’m close to completing a goal.

This is the first in a new, but not necessarily regular, series focusing on some of the interesting people who call Cayman home.

Tags: Chambria Dalhouse, Featured, Steel pan, Up close with:

Category: Arts, Boxing, Music, Sports, Up close