2005 Awardee: Laura-Jane Gibson

It has been extremely hard work doing all my classes at Elmhurst plus all the extra rehearsals and classes with the BRB but it is such an honour for me

YEAR OF AWARD: 2005
AGE AT AWARD: 17
ARTFORMS:
 
 
 

Biography

Laura-Jane, from Ayrshire, has been studying ballet since the age of five.

She became a Junior Associate of the Scottish Ballet when she was 10, and later a Senior Associate. While a part-time dance student, Laura won a number of prestigious dance awards, including the John Marshall Senior Award, and reached the semi-finals of the Young Dancer of the Year in 2005, competing against dancers in full-time training.

In 2005 she also successfully auditioned for the Elmhurst Ballet School in Birmingham. At the end of her first year she won the prize for ‘Most Achieved’ student. Since her second year she has regularly been on tour with the Birmingham Royal Ballet.

How the Award Helped

Laura-Jane received a Dewar Arts Award towards her ballet school tuition.

Since the Award

After successfully graduating from Elmhurst Ballet School, Laura-Jane was offered a contract with Birmingham Royal Ballet where she is now a member of the company.

She writes, “I feel extremely fortunate to be in the position I am in and to have had so many wonderful opportunities offered to me along the way. Without doubt my Dewar Arts Award made so much of this possible for me and gave me the security of knowing that I could give all my time, effort and commitment to my chosen career without any financial worries.”

Mary Goodhew, Artistic Director of Birmingham Ballet, writes, “Throughout her time at Elmhurst Laura Jane. Gibson has been an exemplary student. She is a gifted dancer who is a credit to her family, the supporters and organisations that funded her and all her teachers. I am delighted to say that she is now a professional dancer who graduated from Elmhurst into the Birmingham Royal Ballet.”

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It has been extremely hard work doing all my classes at Elmhurst plus all the extra rehearsals and classes with the BRB but it is such an honour for me

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2005 Awardee: Julia Somerville

The purchase of a first-rate pedal harp ..thanks to [your] support ..marked a major turning point in my career.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2005
AGE AT AWARD:
ARTFORMS: ,
 
 
 

Biography

Julia Somerville’s CV would be impressive for someone twice her age.

In 2002 she was invited to perform in the public masterclass taken by Edward Witzenburg at the Edinburgh Harp Festival. In 2004 she won a chance to study with Charlotte Seale, internationally-renowned harpist and teacher, at Junior Guildhall. This required Julia to make weekly trips to London, demonstrating her dedication and commitment to her music.

In 2005 she was thrilled to be invited by the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland to perform with Camerata Scotland in their summer tour. Given the exceptionally high standard of this pre-professional orchestra, it was a particular honour to be invited, especially since Julia was not yet studying at a music conservatory.

From Edinburgh, Julia is already an experienced performer and has won many major competitions in harp. Demonstrating such a talent already, it is evident that a very successful career as a professional harpist beckons.

How the Award Helped

Julia received a Daughter of Dewar Award towards a new harp.

Since the Award

Julia writes that “the [new] harp has allowed me to build on my record of achievement”. In 2006 she gained ABRSM Grade 8 Pedal Harp on the basis of a ‘superb recital of the highest standard’. Julia is continuing her musical studies at the University of Edinburgh.

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The purchase of a first-rate pedal harp ..thanks to [your] support ..marked a major turning point in my career.

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2005 Awardee: Judith Williams

Thank you for supporting my studies at the Royal Academy of Music... [and] more than that, for validating my dreams

YEAR OF AWARD: 2005
AGE AT AWARD: 26
ARTFORMS:
 
 
 

Biography

Judith already had an impressive array of TV credits to her name, including Taggart, Heartbeat, River City and the Channel 4 comedy success ‘The Book Group’ – winner of a BAFTA Scotland Award – when she was nominated for an Award.  Her professional theatre life began with Raindog and her film debut was in Peter Mullan’s award-winning Orphans.

From Glasgow, Judith is described as “a rare and wonderful talent”. A leading drama tutor wrote of her that  “there is no question that Judith has the vocal and dramatic ability to succeed professionally. Her vocal instrument is ‘big’ and she has the ability to engage emotionally with her material.”

Judith writes of her experience at the Royal Academy of Music that “the opportunity to be educated at one of Europe’s leading conservatoires has been immense, a really vital part of my development.”

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award funded Judith through the prestigious postgraduate performance diploma in musical theatre at the Royal Academy of Music.

Since the Award

Judith graduated with Distinction, winning a coveted Dip. RAM for outstanding final performance.  Since graduating, Judith has appeared in the lead role in Grant Olding’s musical, Three Sides, at the Shaw Theatre, London, filmed the second series of Hightimes and has been working at the Citizens Theatre in James and the Giant Peach, The Bevellers and Wee Fairy Stories.  Shortly she starts touring Scotland with Dundee Rep’s Sunshine on Leith.

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Thank you for supporting my studies at the Royal Academy of Music... [and] more than that, for validating my dreams

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2005 Awardee: Joseph Armstrong

My new pipes are amazing... I really enjoy playing [them] and cannot thank everyone at Dewar Arts Awards enough

YEAR OF AWARD: 2005
AGE AT AWARD: 12
ARTFORMS: ,
 
 
 

Biography

Despite being only 12, Joseph had already achieved major goals in uilleann pipe playing when he was nominated for an Award.

Joseph, from Glasgow, showed rare and exceptional talent in pipe playing and in 2003 became both the under 12 Scottish and under 12 British Champion. In 2004 he retained his Scottish title.

Joseph’s tutor, also a well-known uilleann pipe player, writes of him that “there is the potential for him to join such world class players as Liam O’Flynn or even the late great Seamus Ennis.”

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award enabled Joseph to have a set of uilleann pipes made for him.

Since the Award

Since taking possession of the new set of pipes, Joseph has continued his winning streak, in 2006 coming first and second in two competitions at the All Britain piping Championships. In 2008 he finally achieved his goal of becoming the Under 18 All Britain Champion. Congratulations, Jo.

He writes, “If I had not been successful in getting a Dewar Arts Award, I would not have been able to continue playing the pipes as the old set that I had were falling apart. I was losing interest. Getting the new set gave me so much encouragement, knowing that someone else had faith in my talent. It has meant so much to me.”

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My new pipes are amazing... I really enjoy playing [them] and cannot thank everyone at Dewar Arts Awards enough

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2005 Awardee: Joanne Boag

I am in the wonderful position of being able to look at my diary and see it full. I want to thank the Dewar Arts Award for helping me to get where I am today.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2005
AGE AT AWARD: 25
ARTFORMS: , ,
 
 
 

Biography

Hailing from Dundee, Joanne is a graduate of the RSAMD, where she gained both an Honours degree in performance and a Masters in opera with distinction. She won a highly coveted place on the Masters Course at the National Opera Studio, London – only two places were given, out of over 60 sopranos who auditioned.

The Studio prepares exceptionally talented singers for a career in opera.  Although the course is just a year, accommodation and living expenses in London are high and generally out of the reach of students. Without the Award, Joanne says that she would not have been able to finance herself through this course, which was a once in a lifetime opportunity for her.

Joanne is a lyric soprano of exceptional quality and undoubtedly has the talent to succeed in the highly competitive profession.

How the Award Helped

Joanne received a Dewar Arts Award towards her studies at the National Opera Studio, London.

Since the Award

Joanne’s first job after graduating from the Opera Studio is with Scottish Opera understudying the role of Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier.  The Welsh National Opera have subsequently offered her a principal artist’s contract for 2007-08.  Her first role will be Clorinda in Rossini’s La Cenerentola.

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I am in the wonderful position of being able to look at my diary and see it full. I want to thank the Dewar Arts Award for helping me to get where I am today.

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2005 Awardee: Jillian Smith (Now Jillian Mannion)

My year at VFS has given me the skills and confidence to return to Scotland and become a screenwriter who can hopefully have a profound affect on the entertainment industry.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2005
AGE AT AWARD: 25
ARTFORMS: , ,
 
 
 

Biography

Jillian Smith is the first writer to win a Dewar Arts Award. She has been writing since a very young age.

Described as a precocious talent by her university tutors, Jillian demonstrated as an undergraduate that she was equally fluent in writing poetry, academic essays or film scripts.

Jillian worked regularly with the Writer in Residence at Dundee University and joined Creative Writing Groups to hone her writing skills. Like all budding writers she has been sending her work away since a teenager.

In 2005 Jillian gained a first in English at Dundee University and is now fulfilling her life’s ambition of studying writing for film and TV at the prestigious Vancouver Film School.

Towards the end of her course, an agent who specialises in selling feature film scripts to major Hollywood production companies visited the Film School to have students pitch their ideas to him. Jillian wrote to say that her idea for a feature film had caught his eye.

Katherine Montagu, a tutor on the Vancouver Film School writing course wrote to the trustees after Jillian’s graduation, “You should be very proud that you had the foresight to invest in the education of a brilliant young writer like Jillian Smith.”

How the Award Helped

Jillian received a Dewar Arts Award to support her studies at the Vancouver Film School.

Since the Award

“Love Bites”, a feature film romantic comedy that Jillian co-wrote, went into production in early 2009, directed by Katrin Bowen and produced by Cherry-Lee Fast of Fast Productions.

2013 – Screenplay for Random Acts of Romance Nominated for a Leo Award.

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My year at VFS has given me the skills and confidence to return to Scotland and become a screenwriter who can hopefully have a profound affect on the entertainment industry.

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2005 Awardee: James Ross

The award has provided me with a fantastic opportunity to develop as a pianist on a suitable instrument. It's amazing

YEAR OF AWARD: 2005
AGE AT AWARD: 26
ARTFORMS: ,
 
 
 

Biography

When tutors speak of Wick-born pianist and composer, James Ross, they use superlatives. Brian McNeill, head of Scottish Music at the RSAMD, Glasgow, says that James is “the future of Scottish Traditional Music in Piano. The instrument has been entirely revitalised in his hands.”

His New Voices commission for Celtic Connections ‘An Cuan (The Ocean)’ in 2005 received critical acclaim and was ranked as one of the most impressive compositions. It was described in Scotia Review as “a sweeping seascape of sound, surging up under rumbling skies and settling down to sparkling tranquillity… wave after wave of wonderful music rising from unseen depths to engulf the shores of the imagination.”

Having achieved the highest marks for piano solo performance both at RSAMD and at the University of Limerick, where he completed a Masters under the tutelage of Micheál Ó Súilleabháin, James is developing a career in performance and original composition.

His debut album “James Ross” was released in 2006.

How the Award Helped

James received a Daughter of Dewar Award to buy a piano.

Since the Award

Since obtaining the piano, James says that, as well as being a major benefit to his practice time, he has spent more time composing music, which has opened new doors for him.

He has completed a three-movement orchestral work for Caithness Orchestra and a piano pibroch, both of which have been performed. He was also invited to attend a composer’s course at the St Magnus Festival in Orkney.

James writes, “I feel my career would not be developing the way it is without having a good quality piano. This would not have been possible without being granted a Dewar Arts Award.”

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The award has provided me with a fantastic opportunity to develop as a pianist on a suitable instrument. It's amazing

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2005 Awardee: Hannah Mairi

I [would like to thank] the trustees for the wonderful opportunity they gave me in funding my training at The Sylvia Young Theatre School.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2005
AGE AT AWARD: 13
ARTFORMS:
 
 
 

Biography

Despite her young age, Hannah is already an experienced stage performer. In her first year at the Sylvia Young Theatre School, she successfully auditioned for a part in the critically-acclaimed musical ‘Billy Elliot, The Musical’, London.  She performed in the first three runs, starting as one of the ballet girls and progressing to a solo part.  As a member of the cast, Hannah made regular appearances on stage and TV.

In 2005, Hannah sang with Il Divo at the Royal Variety Show and was a soloist at both a charity gala and at a Christmas Show in London.  In 2006 she performed the role of Peter Pan in a charity concert in front of Princess Anne.

When Hannah started at Sylvia Young’s she was a strong dancer, but as yet untrained in singing and drama.  In her third year she won awards for achievement in both singing and expressive arts and drama.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award is funding Hannah for four years at the Sylvia Young Theatre school.

Since the Award

In her final year at Sylvia Young’s, Hannah managed to cope with a number of professional engagements as well as gaining 9 A Grade GCSE’s. Hannah successfully auditioned for the Laine Theatre Arts where she continues her studies in musical theatre.

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I [would like to thank] the trustees for the wonderful opportunity they gave me in funding my training at The Sylvia Young Theatre School.

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2005 Awardee: Graeme Truslove

The award enabled me to refine and enhance the methods I have been working towards for years now...I am very grateful to have received such an opportunity at this stage in my artistic development.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2005
AGE AT AWARD: 25
ARTFORMS: ,
 
 
 

Biography

Graeme is a composer with a difference, his ‘instrument’ is a computer. He is the first electroacoustic composer to be funded by the Awards. Graeme combines technical innovation with artistic integrity to produce exciting new sounds.

Graeme works in electronic music, working with performing musicians in the studio to produce compositions based on the sounds of the instruments, and also producing music based on electronic sound.

Some highly innovative elements of his current research included ‘live electronics’. He explains, “in composing for live electronics… the composer creates an electronic instrument and writes a score for its performance, requiring the presence of a ‘technology performer’ to play it. This approach has influenced the way I structure my pieces.”

Recent work with theatre directors and a visual artist on a three-dimensional adaptation of ‘The Tempest’ has led to interesting collaboration on a new play, investigating the possible influences that interactive music can have on narrative when introduced at the script-writing stage.

How the Award Helped

Graeme received a Dewar Arts Award to support him while studying for a PhD in composition at the University of Glasgow’s Department of Music.  The award funded the creation of Electroacoustic Suite II, premiered in April 2007 in Glasgow.

Since the Award

Graeme successfully completed his PhD in 2009. His composition, Electroacoustic Suite II, which formed part of his doctoral portfolio, is in three movements, Portals, Convergence in Four Directions and Divergent Dialogues.

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The award enabled me to refine and enhance the methods I have been working towards for years now...I am very grateful to have received such an opportunity at this stage in my artistic development.

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2005 Awardee: Gillian Maitland

I have had the chance to work with some fantastic percussionists in an amazing percussion environment. It is like having a family of percussionists around all the time

YEAR OF AWARD: 2005
AGE AT AWARD: 19
ARTFORMS: ,
 
 
 

Biography

Gillian caught the eye of international percussionists when she attended the Juilliard Summer Percussion Seminar, a festival for advanced high school percussionists.

She was one of only 16 pupils selected worldwide to attend the seminar. A graduate of St Mary’s Music School, Gillian’s consuming passion is the marimba.

As a young musician her achievements include winning the Director’s Recital prize at St Mary’s and winning joint first place in the inaugural percussion class at the 2004 Edinburgh Music Festival.

Gillian says that she chose to study at the Frost School of Music because it “has the broad percussion base I want to study and isn’t based purely on orchestral, but also has jazz, ethnic/world music and solo performance.”

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award is funding Gillian for four years at the Frost School of Music, Miami. She was put on the Dean’s list in Spring 2006.

Since the Award

Due to an unfortunate road accident, Gillian was forced to withdraw after three years’ study at Frost School of Music. We’re happy to note that this did not prevent Gillian from pursuing her career ambitions. She is now pursuing a solo career and in 2009 in Ireland premiered a work for solo marimba written for her by a Scottish composer.

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I have had the chance to work with some fantastic percussionists in an amazing percussion environment. It is like having a family of percussionists around all the time

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