2013 Awardee: Hannah Rankin

As well working in education and chamber music, one of my other ambitions is to play in an opera orchestra as I find this to be some of the most magical and exciting music for bassoon!

Biography

Hannah grew up on a farm on the west coast of Scotland, before moving to Glasgow to study music at the Conservatoire.  A passionate bassoon player, Hannah took every opportunity whilst in Glasgow to play in symphony, chamber and opera orchestras. She went on to gain a coveted place on a masters course at the Royal Academy of Music.

Hannah’s main passion is opera, and she has worked with the Scottish Opera on a production of The Cunning Little Vixen.  She has also developed a strong aptitude for teaching and has been involved in education projects in Scotland and in England, with the English Touring Opera and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.  Hannah also completed a summer of teaching in the the Himalayas, Northern India, for the charity Kinship.

Whilst in the first year of her masters studies, Hannah suffered a family bereavement.  This made the second year a challenging time for her personally and financially.  In spite of this, Hannah remained dedicated to her studies and her education projects, and continued to flourish as a musician.

How the Award Helped

Hannah received a Dewar Award to support her second year of masters studies at the Royal Academy of Music, anabling her to continue learning at the highest level whilst contributing to the education of others.

As well working in education and chamber music, one of my other ambitions is to play in an opera orchestra as I find this to be some of the most magical and exciting music for bassoon!