Biography

Adam started learning the clarinet at primary school with Rachel Considine.  He joined the high achieving North Ayrshire Schools’ Senior Concert Band where he met Matthew Chinn and with much encouragement and support from both him and his clarinet teacher, he successfully auditioned for the Junior Conservatoire at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where he studied for two years with Alison Waller.

During his time at the Junior Conservatoire, Adam won the 2016/17 Gilbert Innes Woodwind Prize and was one of three people selected as a concerto soloist to perform with the Junior Conservatoire Symphony Orchestra.  He has also enjoyed successes at many local, regional and national events, including the Ayrshire Music Festival where he was the first person to win the Elizabeth McNair Trophy for Best Overall Instrumental Performance three years in a row.

Adam was a member of the West of Scotland Schools’ Symphony Orchestra in 2017 and was selected as their concerto soloist, performing Malcolm Arnold’s Clarinet Concerto No. 2.  He was also a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland Symphony Orchestra the same year, performing in top performance venues across Scotland, including the Usher Hall, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall and Perth Concert Hall.

In 2017, Adam successfully auditioned for a place on the BMus course at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where he studies with John Cushing.  He was also awarded a Robertson Trust Scholarship to support his studies.  In February 2018, Adam won a Yamaha Music Foundation of Europe Clarinet Scholarship, being one of seven people selected from Conservatoires across the U.K. to perform in the live final at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester.

How the Award Helped