2010 Awardee: Ruth Paxton

I am extremely grateful and indebted to the trust for their generosity and for making it possible for me to pursue this opportunity in London.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2010
AGE AT AWARD: 26
ARTFORMS: ,
 
 
 

Biography

Edinburgh born and bred, Ruth Paxton is an impassioned young Scottish filmmaker.

After gaining a degree from Edinburgh College of Art, Ruth graduated in 2007 from the Screen Academy Scotland with a post-graduate diploma in film. Since then she has developed her skills by writing, directing, producing and designing for an eclectic mix of film projects, including fiction, non-fiction, experimental film and music video.

At heart a writer/director, Ruth’s most successful film to date has been ‘She Wanted To Be Burnt’, which has been exhibited and nominated in competition in festivals across the UK and Europe, including screenings in Australia, India and China. In 2009, Ruth was commissioned by DigiCult with her short film ‘PARIS/SEXY’, which was premiered at the 64th EIFF, where it was nominated for the UK Film Council Best British Short film. The cinematographer was fellow Dewar Award Winner David Liddell.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award funded Ruth to attend the Directors’ Series short course at the prestigious NFTS in Beaconsfield.

Since the Award

Ruth writes that the course “not only met with my expectations, but exceeded them….. I have gained knowledge and ‘tools’ with which to approach new projects.” One of her tutors writes that “from the first exercise on camera, Ruth demonstrated she had a strong, individual and unusual cinematic and aesthetic talent … she showed remarkable development of ability and understanding of dramatic narrative.” Shortly after the course, Ruth went to the Toronto Film Festival to participate in a Talent Lab. In 2011, Ruth’s film PARIS/SEXY was winner of the UKFC Best Short Film Award at the 8th London Short Film Festival. Congratulations, Ruth!

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I am extremely grateful and indebted to the trust for their generosity and for making it possible for me to pursue this opportunity in London.

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2010 Awardee: Erin Smith

This award will enable me to continue my studies at the Royal Academy of Music. I am so grateful that I can now concentrate on the violin with less financial worries.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2010
AGE AT AWARD: 21
ARTFORMS: ,
 
 
 

Biography

From Aberdeen, Erin is studying music at the Royal Academy of Music. In 2006, she won a Daughter of Dewar award to buy a performance standard bow for her violin. At the time, her teacher at the Aberdeen City Music School described her as being in ‘league division one’. After finding the bow of her choice, Erin wrote that “playing with a bow of such high standard made such a difference to my sound and confidence.”

Erin began playing the violin at the age of four, playing mainly Scottish fiddle music. By the age of 12 she had won over 200 competitions, including the Scottish championships six times in a row and the National Mod three times in a row. She has appeared on live radio and TV and performed at both parliaments in Westminster and Holyrood. She gave an outstanding performance at First Minister, Alex Salmond’s, Homecoming 2009 event.

Erin has been a member of Scotland’s National Children’s Orchestra, National Youth Orchestra, National Youth String Ensemble and Camerata Scotland. After being invited to play at the prestigious Glenfiddich competition, she decided to concentrate on classical music. She was accepted by all the major UK conservatoires, choosing to study at the Royal Academy of Music.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award will contribute towards the considerable costs to study music in London.

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This award will enable me to continue my studies at the Royal Academy of Music. I am so grateful that I can now concentrate on the violin with less financial worries.

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2010 Awardee: Kay Stephen

This generous award will allow me to complete my masters and, more importantly, spend a further year learning with my teacher, Pavel Fischer.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2010
AGE AT AWARD: 22
ARTFORMS: ,
 
 
 

Biography

Aberdeen born and bred, Kay moved to Glasgow at 17 to study violin at RSAMD, graduating with a first-class degree in music and the top mark in her year. She moved to Manchester to pursue a master of music at RNCM, where she studies with Pavel Fischer.

At RNCM, Kay has enjoyed many performing opportunities and has led every college ensemble, from the tight-knit ‘new ensemble’ to the symphony orchestra. She led the orchestra in the summer of 2010 residency at the Cantiere festival in Montepulciano. Kay has also performed with some big Scottish names, including Donnie Munro, Capercaillie, and Alasdair McCulloch. She was a member of the True North Orchestra when it opened 2009’s Celtic Connections.

Kay was accepted onto the BBC Philharmonic professional access scheme, with whom she had the thrilling experience of playing works such as Mahler’s Sixth and Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra. She is also part of a quartet which has enjoyed success, winning the Hirsch quartet prize and performing in the prestigious RNCM chamber festival. Flushed with this success the quartet plans to take part in external music competitions in the future.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award will help towards the second year costs of the master of music at RNCM.

Since the Award

After graduating with a Master of Music Solo Performance, with Merit, Kay was offered a place as violinist on the Halle’s Leadership scheme. Kay says that one of the best things to come out of her final year at the RNCM was forming a new string quartet, the Gildas Quartet. The highlight was to be invited by the RNCM’s international chair of chamber music, Gabor Takacs Nagy, to work more intensively with him in Geneva. Kay also helped to create the Cragiebuckler Ensemble, a group of young Scottish musicians who put on chamber music concerts in small venues around Scotland. She writes that it is a great way to bring old friends together who are always thrilled to have an excuse to come back and perform in Scotland.

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This generous award will allow me to complete my masters and, more importantly, spend a further year learning with my teacher, Pavel Fischer.

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2009 Awardee: Ania Winiarska

It is a wonderful opportunity for me to study at the NFTS where I can improve my skills and develop [a] personal voice and style in film-making.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2009
AGE AT AWARD: 27
ARTFORMS: ,
 
 
 

Biography

Polish-born Ania became passionate about film through her initial studies in journalism. Her early fascination with ordinary people’s lives grew into a desire to tell more in-depth human interest stories through the medium of film documentary.

Ania’s first contact with the film-set was behind the scenes as an independent photographer working on, amongst others, the set of ‘Rebus’. She moved into theatre and got involved with the Citizens Community Theatre in Glasgow.

Whilst in Glasgow, Ania made the well-received documentary ‘Shooting Horses’ chronicling the story of a community performance project based on the film “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?”. This was selected for submission to the Golden Gate Film Festival in San Francisco. She later made ‘Blackout’, a documentary about Glasgow teenagers who performed at the National Theatre in London.

Ania worked as a film-maker for a number of Scottish charities, often for no fee, to help them raise their profile and funds. ‘Passionate’ is a word often used in connection with Ania, and in her work she manages to find engaging and honest stories that touch the hearts of her audience.

Ania won a place at the highly-competitive NFTS, Beaconsfield to study for a Master in Documentary Directing.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award will help towards the substantial costs for Ania to take up a place.

Since the Award

Ania has continued to build on her success and skills as a film-maker. She received the Christie Award for out-standing contribution to the NFTS and her film ‘Dylan’ has been screened at numerous international film festivals. ‘Dylan’ won 2nd prize at San Sebastian International Film Festival and was shortlisted for Grierson Awards for best student film. Ania continues to work on documentaries for British TV, including ‘Britain in a Day’ for BBC2.

‘Dylan’ Official Trailer from Ania Winiarska on Vimeo.

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It is a wonderful opportunity for me to study at the NFTS where I can improve my skills and develop [a] personal voice and style in film-making.

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2009 Awardee: Tom Harrold

I am thrilled to have this opportunity to be associated with the Dewar Arts Awards and will do my utmost to do justice to this fantastic award.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2009
AGE AT AWARD: 17
ARTFORMS: ,
WEBSITE:https://soundcloud.com/tom-harrold
 
 

Biography

Glasgow-born Tom Harrold has had his music performed and recorded in London, Amsterdam, York, Glasgow, Aberdeen – and Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago! Tom was a pupil at the Music School of Douglas Academy for almost six years before he was accepted by the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester to study composition.

The son of professional musicians, Tom was winner of the 2007 BBC Proms/Guardian Young Composer’s Competition. His music has been performed and workshopped by members of the BBC Scottish Symphony, the BBC Symphony and the Aurora Orchestras and the Endymion Ensemble, along with the Ebor Singers. Tom has already received commissions from the BBC Proms, Scottish Philharmonic Orchestra and from several professional soloists.

In April 2009, Tom had a new work performed at the Fifth Summit of the Americas, and his piece “The Day is Done” was on the shortlist of three of the National Centre for Early Music/BBC Radio 3/Tallis Scholar Composer’s Competition. In the same year, he was joint winner of the Heriot-Watt University Young Composer’s Competition.

All these wonderful experiences and opportunities have fuelled his love for composing and confirmed in him a desire to become one of the foremost Scottish and British contemporary composers of his generation.

For up-to-date information on Tom’s work, visit his page on SoundCloud.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award will help Tom in his first year at RNCM studying composition.

Since the Award

Demonstrating good progress, Tom’s Award has been continued into a second year, and subsequently, a third year.

29/04/13: Tom has been shortlisted for a commission from the Royal Philharmonic Society. making it into the final four entrants put forward by the Royal Northern College of Music. The chosen composer will write a fanfare to open the IAMA’s Montreal Conference this November and the London Conference in April 2014.

FROM DREAMS, Trinity Boys Choir (cond. David Swinson), Live from Herz Jesu Kirche, Munich

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I am thrilled to have this opportunity to be associated with the Dewar Arts Awards and will do my utmost to do justice to this fantastic award.

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2009 Awardee: Alan McKendrick

Thanks very much, I’m delighted… and am already looking forward to being able to embark on my project with support from the Award.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2009
AGE AT AWARD: 26
ARTFORMS: , , ,
 
 
 

Biography

Freelance stage writer/director/translator Alan McKendrick, from Glasgow, already has a number of stage successes under his belt. His most recent stage work as writer/director includes The James Dean Death Scene, Finished With Engines and The Bad Drive Well. In 2006 he was winner of the Arches Award for stage directors (for The James Dean Death Scene) and the following year reached the final shortlist for the prestigious Meyer-Whitworth Award for the UK-wide best play by a new writer (for Finished With Engines).

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award helped Alan to spend a period of time on a creative attachment with the renowned Schaubuehne Theater, Berlin.

Since the Award

Having spent a period of time in Berlin, Alan writes that his “original intention was to…consolidate upon my already-extant skills as a playwright, director and translator. I believe that …this was ultimately achieved on a personal level.” The fruit of this time in Berlin began to appear some months after his return to Scotland, which includes the possibility of his own work being translated into German and him working with a German director on a German-English stage translation.

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Thanks very much, I’m delighted… and am already looking forward to being able to embark on my project with support from the Award.

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2009 Awardee: Andrea Harkin

My thanks to the trustees for choosing to grant me a Dewar Arts Award. I am delighted and would like to accept the award.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2009
AGE AT AWARD: 27
ARTFORMS: ,
WEBSITE:https://www.andreaharkin.net
 
 

Biography

Originally from Derry, Northern Ireland, and now based in Edinburgh, Andrea won a 2008 BAFTA Scotland New Talent Award, in the Best First-Time Writer category, for the short film ‘The Flyer’, which she both wrote and directed. The film was premiered subsequently at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, one of just four Scottish Shorts to be screened that year.

Andrea first studied drama at Queen Margaret University. She then joined the Pilton Video’s ‘From Script to Screen’ Shorts programme as a new director, eventually producing a powerful, funny and moving film short ‘Just Like Me’. Andrea is considered to be one of the very best talents to come out of Scotland over the past few years and, in the view of some, the best developing young female director in the country at this time.

Andrea has been offered a coveted place on the NFTS Masters course in Film Directing, where places are hugely competitive and are only offered to those who already have a track record in the film industry.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award will help Andrea towards the considerable costs of the course. After a successful first year, Andrea’s funding was continued into the second year.

Since the Award

Andrea successfully completed her studies at NFTS in 2011, and according to her tutors, her graduation film, FOR MEGAN, made a powerful impact on the audience. Andrea writes, “I have learned so much about filmmaking, collaboration, and what needs to be done on a practical level to facilitate the creative possibilities. And that is precisely why I came to film school.” For more information about Andrea’s current work, see www.andreaharkin.net.

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My thanks to the trustees for choosing to grant me a Dewar Arts Award. I am delighted and would like to accept the award.

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2009 Awardee: Asher Zaccardelli

YEAR OF AWARD: 2009
AGE AT AWARD: 19
ARTFORMS: ,
 
 
 

Biography

Asher was born in Edinburgh, he attended St Mary’s Music School and completed his undergraduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

He enjoys a versatile career as a chamber musician, regularly working with Hebrides Ensemble, Scottish Ensemble, 13 North and 12 Ensemble where he has appeared as a soloist. He was Violist of the Maxwell String Quartet and the Ruisi String Quartet, winning various awards with both including the Royal Philharmonic Society’s ‘Albert and Eugenie Frost Prize’ for chamber music in 2016.

Asher has established himself as a sought-after orchestral principal and has played guest principal viola with The Philharmonia, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Aurora Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Royal Scottish National Orchestra. He is also a regular player with the John Wilson Orchestra and Sinfonia of London. He held the position of Assistant Principal Viola with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra between 2019-2023.

 

Asher enjoys performing challenging repertoire from memory. As a regular player with Aurora Orchestra for over 10 years, he has performed several works from memory including 4 Beethoven symphonies (3,5,6,7), Berlioz’s Symphony Fantastique and Stravinsky’s Firebird & The Rite of Spring.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award supported Asher’s studies at the Royal Academy of Music.

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2009 Awardee: Beth Mackay

Every day I am inspired by my teachers and coaches, directors and my peers, which encourages me to perform to my highest potential. I would not have been able to take advantage of this opportunity without the Trust's support and I thank you so very much for enabling me to do so.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2009
AGE AT AWARD: 26
ARTFORMS: , ,
 
 
 

Biography

Yorkshire-born mezzo-soprano Beth Mackay gained her first degree at Leeds University, during which time she sang in the Leeds Baroque Choir. She progressed to the RNCM in Manchester to pursue postgraduate vocal studies, moving on to continue her studies at the RSAMD in Glasgow.

Beth has a range which is ideally suited to the music of the 18th century. She continues to perform regularly as a soloist with the Leeds Baroque Choir and for the last two years has performed at the Suffolk Villages Festival, East Anglia’s Early Music Festival. Whilst at RSAMD she has impressed with her development as a stage artist, able to convey the inner drama of her character.

In 2009 Beth was offered a place on the RSAMD’s prestigious Masters Programme for Opera Studies. She finds the environment of studying at RSAMD to be very energising, and has experienced great growth and development from their teaching.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award will help with the expenses of pursuing the two-year programme towards a Master of Opera.

Since the Award

Beth successfully graduated with a Master of Opera (distinction) from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.  Immediately after graduation, she took up a contract with the Clonter Opera in Cheshire.

Beth writes that her future is exciting, including as it does working with Opera North on a contemporary music project, with the Britten Choir in London, concert and oratorio appearances already in the diary and auditions for opera companies in the pipeline.

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Every day I am inspired by my teachers and coaches, directors and my peers, which encourages me to perform to my highest potential. I would not have been able to take advantage of this opportunity without the Trust's support and I thank you so very much for enabling me to do so.

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2009 Awardee: Danielle Heron

Without your support, my dream of training at LAMDA and ultimately, making the first steps in becoming an actress that Scotland is proud of may not have been possible and for that reason I cannot thank you enough.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2009
AGE AT AWARD: 20
ARTFORMS: ,
 
 
 

Biography

Paisley-born actress Danielle has toured all over Scotland with PACE Youth Theatre Company and performed at Glasgow’s SEC to thousands of primary school children. Former members of PACE include film actor James McAvoy and singer Paolo Nutini.

Dani was a member of PACE Theatre Company for over ten years and impressed as an enthusiastic, talented, diligent and determined young woman. Dani was a key figure in Renfrewshire’s ‘Take a Drink’ project, which aimed to educate secondary school pupils about the dangers of alcohol abuse. She was able to portray a believable and realistic character which won over a largely sceptical audience of young people.

Dani went on to take part in Strathclyde Police’s ‘Choices for Life’ project in 2008, aimed at young people to encourage them to make the right choices for their future. Once again, her believable and passionate performance hit the right note.

Dani’s aim is to become an actress Scotland can be proud of and has been accepted onto the degree course at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award will help towards Dani’s first year costs. After a successful first year, Dani’s funding has been continued into a second year.  Following a successful second year, her funding has been continued into a third and final year.

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Without your support, my dream of training at LAMDA and ultimately, making the first steps in becoming an actress that Scotland is proud of may not have been possible and for that reason I cannot thank you enough.

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