Sam Glazer is a composer and cellist. He is co-creator of Spitalfields Music’s RPS-shortlisted Musical Rumpus, making operas for babies and toddlers.

What is your favourite place in Sussex?

The West Pier in Brighton at dusk in the autumn, with a thousand starlings circling and pulsating overhead as they get ready to roost.

What do you love most about Sussex?

I grew up in Brighton, and I still miss living between the Downs and the sea.

What advice do you have for your 12-year-old self?

Spend less time in your head, and more in your body. Still applies today.

What is your most valued possession?

My cello, which I inherited from my grandfather, who was a Jewish refugee from Vienna. It was made in London in the 1790s and I’ve played it since I was 15 years old. It’s not particularly valuable in the world of fine string instruments – it was quite cheaply made and has sustained lots of damage – but it has the most beautiful sound.

What is your biggest regret?

As a skinny brainy nerd at Dorothy Stringer school, I wasn’t cut out for the football and hockey which were the main sports played then, and I concluded that I was no good at sport. I’ve only recently discovered I actually like running, jumping and moving my body. I wish I’d known this earlier on!

What is your biggest fear?

Drowning. I love swimming in the sea but it terrifies me too.

What is your proudest achievement?

Choosing to go freelance as a musician and making a career of it, after a couple of years working in theatre admin. That was 15 years ago and I haven’t looked back!

Which five people (living or dead) would you invite to your fantasy dinner party?

William Blake, Roger Deakin, Ursula Le Guin, David Attenborough and Björk.

Anything else?

I can’t wait to see Depart at Brighton Festival. I wrote some choral music for this amazing production when it premiered in London last year. It’s an extraordinary exploration – in a woodland cemetery, at night – of the Orpheus myth, featuring incredible circus artists, electronic music, aerialists, community singers and video artists.