Awardees - Dewar Awards

Paul Kirby

Paul is an integral part of the jazz scene in Edinburgh, Scotland and beyond and is regarded as one of the two most outstanding young jazz pianists in Scotland.

Edinburgh-born Pauline graduated with a first-class degree in jewellery and silversmithing from the Glasgow School of Art. Since then she has won the 2009 Hammerman Award and the Goldsmiths Company Precious Metal Bursary Award.

Rachel Fisher

Rachel Fisher studied music at Napier University, Edinburgh, graduating with a first-class honours degree. She is a winner of the Edinburgh Festival Competition for Music.

Sean Reilly

When Sean Reilly, from Glasgow, was born, the doctors pronounced that he would never be able to walk because of clubbed feet. When he was four, he started to move to music, and Sean says that he has loved to dance ever since.

Siobhan Kelly

Siobhan Kelly was born and raised in one of the tougher areas of Glasgow. She showed talent at a young age, participating in Youth Theatre and various summer school productions.

Terri O’Brien

Glasgow-based Terri O’Brien, whose stage name is Terri O’Ryan, started pursuing her ambition to work in musical theatre at the Glasgow Academy of Musical Theatre. She went on to study at Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts for three years.

Toby Lord

Currently in the final year of a degree course in musical theatre at Guildford School of Acting, Toby’s particular passion is stage and screen combat.

Bede Williams

New Zealand-born Bede Williams came to Scotland in 2003 as an Associated Board International Scholar to study at the RSAMD. He graduated with a first-class honours degree.

Ben McNeill

In 2005 Ben applied for a course on filmmaking offered by the Prince’s Trust and since then has set his sights on making a career in film production.

Blair Mowat

From Edinburgh, Blair studied composition from an early age. It has been an ambition of his to write music for film since a young age.

Calum Tonner

Calum is an exceptional trumpet player for his age with bags of potential and motivation. He is currently on the RSAMD Youthworks programme.

Daljinder Singh

Originally from Yorkshire, Daljinder has lived in Scotland for four years, first working as a trainee drama worker with the TAG Theatre Company and later with many other well-known Scottish theatre companies.

Daniel Rainey

Glasgow-born Daniel says simply that ‘music is my life’. He started to learn the piano at the age of six, quickly followed by the violin.

David Gray

David first played the piano by ear when he was four and started to have lessons when he was five. Since then, all he has wanted to be was a concert pianist.

David Smith

Fife’s David Smith started to learn the flute when he was 14 and after six month’s of playing decided that was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. He won the Wind Finals of the 2008 BBC Young Musician of the Year.

Dominique Collins

Dominique started dancing at the relatively late age, for a dancer, of 12. Her early teachers consider her to be one of the most talented Scottish dancers at the moment.

Elaine Woo MacGregor

Edinburgh-born Elaine is equally comfortable in both Chinese and Western cultures. From a young age she went to the Chinese school where she was taught Chinese poetry and calligraphy.

Eoghainn MacLean

Eoghainn has wanted to be a film director for as long as he can remember. He writes film scripts, but his real passion is in visual storytelling.

Eve Smith

Glasgow-born Eve is very proud of her Polish heritage. She graduated from Edinburgh College of Art with an ambition to work in the visual arts.

Fingal McKiernan

Fingal discovered a talent and passion for theatre at the age of 15. He was a member of the National Youth Theatre and was their representative for the City of Edinburgh.

Fiona Scott

Lancashire-born Fiona started her studies at the RNCM in Manchester. She moved to Scotland in 2006 to pursue postgraduate opera studies at the RSAMD.

Fraser Russell

Fraser, who hails from Carnoustie, started to play the tuba at the age of 14. He is studying music at the RSAMD.

Helen Cuinn

Helen’s interest in drama dates back to the age of 10 when she joined the wonderfully-named drama class ‘Terrifically Adventurous Youth Theatre’. She was spotted then as a potential performance talent.

Jack Fawcett

Jack started playing percussion at the age of 15 and made remarkable progress in a short space of time. For the last two years of his schooling, he studied percussion at the Aberdeen City Music School.

Jack Henry

Jack started to learn to dance at a dance school in Renfrewshire. During his time there he was selected for both the Scottish Ballet’s Junior Associates Scheme and the Royal Ballet School’s Mid-Associate Scheme showing his early promise.

James Wood

James graduated from Gray’s School of Art in 2007 where he studied painting and drawing. His ambition was to work in 3D computer animation.

Jemma McMonagle

Fourteen-year-old Jemma demonstrated a fine musicianship from the start and has the ability to play a number of instruments with stunning sensitivity and maturity for her age.

Jon Savage

Rutherglen-born Jon started his training in dance at the Dance School of Scotland, where he showed exceptional talent from the start. He decided early on that he wanted to become a professional dancer.

Jonathan Cheyne

Jonathan learnt to play the Highland bagpipes at the age of 12 and quickly developed a passion to play and perform.

June Naylor

Born in Inverness and brought up on Skye, June is a member of award-winning band ‘Bodega’, winners of the BBC2 Young Folk Award.

Kate McDermott

Hailing from Lanark, Kate received her first degree at the Royal College of Music in London. She returned to Glasgow to pursue a Master of Music at the RSAMD.

Katherine Brown

Katherine specialises in knitwear design and says that her designs are both wearable and conceptual.

Laura Kelly

When she was seven Laura Kelly, from Moodiesburn, joined the Scottish Children’s National Chorus and the National Youth Choir of Scotland. Her passion for singing continued, and she went on to study singing at the RSAMD.

Laura Sergeant

Currently studying ‘cello at the RSAMD, Glasgow, Laura is a member of the Nova String Quartet which was formed in 2006 by a group of students.

Liam Harley

From a musical family, Liam started to learn music on a penny whistle, quickly graduating to the concert flute. He is now extremely accomplished on both instruments and is the 2008 Scottish flute and whistle champion.

Linsay Croall

After graduation, Linsay worked as a print-maker where she developed an interest in lithography, which is a dwindling artform in Scotland.

Lisa Norman

Lisa, from Hawick, graduated from Edinburgh University with a first-class honours degree in music and the final year dissertation prize.

Lynne MacLachlan

Paisley-born Lynne MacLachlan is one of several jewellers supported by a Dewar Arts Award. Graduate of Duncan of Jordanstone College, Lynne won both a Goldsmith Precious Metal Bursary and a Cross Trust Vacation Award in her final year at college.

Lynsey Murdoch

Hailing from Cambuslang, Lynsey was described as a ‘… new star of Scottish Theatre in the making’ for her performance in ‘Mad Cow’ at the Arches Theatre in Glasgow.

Malcy Duff

From Edinburgh, Malcy Duff published his first comic, ‘Zero Termite’, when he was 19. He is now one of Scotland’s best-regarded independent cartoonists, and his work has been described as ‘eye-poppingly scary’.

Maryam Sheran

From Aberdeenshire, Maryam enjoys playing both classical and traditional music on both piano and violin and over the years has won many local competitions in both genres

Mhari Baird

Hailing from East Ayrshire, flautist Mharhi is a diverse musician and a natural performer.

Morag Keil

Morag works as a multi-disciplinary artist in Glasgow where she is part of the thriving art scene. she has exhibited in both Scotland and abroad.

Niall Macdonald

Niall was born and raised in the remote Outer Hebrides. He now lives in Glasgow and works alongside some of Scotland’s most successful contemporary visual artists at the new Glasgow Sculpture Studios.

Patricia Orr

Patricia is completing her opera training at the prestigious National Opera Studio, considered to be the main UK launch-pad for great opera careers.

Rachel Steele

Rachel began learning the ‘cello on an instrument which belonged to her grandfather. She was a student on the Junior RSAMD programme, studying both ‘cello and clarinet, where she received a number of scholarships.

Rachel Watson

When Rachel heard Russell Cowieson play in a jazz concert, she fell in love with the saxophone.

Richard Hackett

Richard performed his first main ballet role when he was 15 years, as James in La Sylphide by the Scottish Ballet. He was a talented student winning a number of prestigious prizes and awards along the way.

Robert Anderson

Starting first at the RSAMD Junior Department, Robert was awarded the Stevenson Scholarship by RSAMD to continue his studies there as an undergraduate, during which time he won numerous prizes.

Ryan Sullivan

Ryan is one of a number of up-and-coming musical talents currently studying at the RSAMD Junior Academy, and at 15 he is the youngest student of the bassoon.