2005 Awardee: Lauren Steel

I was delighted to received your letter informing me that I had been awarded a grant for a new cello bow

Biography

Lauren’s family moved from Stornoway so that she could attend Aberdeen City Music School to continue studying ‘cello. The director of the Music School says that Lauren is simply one of the best musicians they have had.

In 2005, she was the only young musician from Aberdeen to win a place on the prestigious National Youth Orchestra for Great Britain.  A combination of outstanding talent and sheer hard work enabled her to pass grade 8 ‘cello by a massive 142 out of a possible 150.

How the Award Helped

Lauren received a Daughter of Dewar Award to buy a new ‘cello bow.

Since the Award

The day after she was told about the Award, she heard that she had been accepted to study cello at the Royal Academy of Music, London.

Many string players believe that a good bow is just as crucial to their playing as a good instrument.  Lauren tried a selection of bows before choosing a modern French one for its lightness and ease of manipulation.

She writes, “the degrees of sound production were increased and the actual tone produced was noticeably different….there were many new colours to experiment with.”

I was delighted to received your letter informing me that I had been awarded a grant for a new cello bow