2007 Awardee: Samuel Rutherford
On behalf of Samuel thank you very much for the generous award to purchase the accordion which is an invaluable support and will progress his studies exponentially! (Samuel's mother)
Biography
Born in Inverness, Samuel was brought up on the beautiful Isle of Coll. He was inspired to take up the accordion after hearing the ceilidh band Skerryvore from the Isle of Tiree performing on Coll. He asked if he could have a go at playing their accordion and was hooked. His grandmother bought him his first accordion.
Samuel is currently a pupil at Aberdeen City Music School where he is studying the accordion. At the audition, he impressed with his talent and, since joining the school, has continued to made excellent progress due to dedication added to raw talent. Quickly it became apparent that the accordion Samuel owned when he arrived at the school was inadequate and actively holding back his musical progress.
Samuel writes that “thanks to the Dewar Arts Award I am now able to buy a higher quality instrument to enable me to play at an advanced level. The new instrument will enhance the range of music I can play.”
How the Award Helped
The Dewar Arts Award will enable Samuel to buy a Bulgari Champion Cassoto accordion.
Since the Award
Samuel has made great progress since buying a new accordion. At the 2009 NAAFC he won second place in the under 16 traditional solo and second place at the 2008 All Scotland Accordion and Fiddle Championships in Perth. He also regularly teaches younger children the basic skills of playing the accordion.
On behalf of Samuel thank you very much for the generous award to purchase the accordion which is an invaluable support and will progress his studies exponentially! (Samuel's mother)