2013 Awardee: Katherine Bryer

The level of enjoyment and satisfaction I gain from solo and enemble playing constantly affirms my belief that being a performing musician is the right career path for me

YEAR OF AWARD: 2013
AGE AT AWARD: 19
ARTFORMS: ,
 
EMAIL:kcobryer@gmail.com
 

Biography

Katherine studied oboe as a boarder at St Mary’s Music School in Edinburgh.  She was described as an exceptional pupil and a particularly talented musician.  She performed as a soloist and as part of a chamber ensemble, picking up a number of prizes and awards along the way.  A standout opportunity was performing as a finalist of the Edinburgh Competition Festival’s Concerto Class at the Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh.

Katherine achieved a distinction in her grade 8 oboe, and also gained a highly sought after place in the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.  She achieves a great deal of satisfaction from performing and this drives her to pursue a career as a professional musician.

As a next step on this path, Katherine was offered a place to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London.  This provided an excellent opportunity to further develop her skills,

How the Award Helped

Katherine’s Award supported her in her studies at the RAM, allowing her to pursue her ambition of becoming a professional musician.

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The level of enjoyment and satisfaction I gain from solo and enemble playing constantly affirms my belief that being a performing musician is the right career path for me

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2013 Awardee: Hazel McBain

I feel that this course will really give me the opportunity to explore my boundaries as a performer and make me ready to enter into the profession

YEAR OF AWARD: 2013
AGE AT AWARD: 24
ARTFORMS: , ,
 
 
 

Biography

Hazel was born and raised in Glasgow.  A skilled opera singer with excellent technique as well as acting ability, Hazel studied at the Royal College of Music in London before returning to Scotland to study at the Royal Conservatoire.  She graduated with a first class honours and continued her studies with a masters in performance.

Hazel was chosen to represent the Conservatoire in the Maggie Teyte/Miriam Lycette competition, and successfully auditioned for the MBF awards.  Her instinctive creativity earned her roles in productions with the RCS and the Scottish Opera.  Through hard work and dedication she went on to earn a place on the MMus in Opera at the RCS.

The journey to becoming an opera singer is a long one, and the MMus offered Hazel the training she needed to prepare herself for professional performance. The course provided the opportunity to develop her skills as a performer and also as a teacher.

How the Award Helped

Hazel received a Dewar Award to support her studies on the MMus at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

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I feel that this course will really give me the opportunity to explore my boundaries as a performer and make me ready to enter into the profession

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2013 Awardee: Neil Birse

This opportunity is what I have dreamed of doing for many years. I can scarcely believe I have been so fortunate.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2013
AGE AT AWARD: 20
ARTFORMS: , ,
 
 
 

Biography

Neil is an especially talented musician who plays a range of instruments and excels as a pianist.  He has an advanced awareness of style, melody and harmony as well as excellent phrasing and interpretation.

Hailing from Aberdeen, Neil pursued his musical interests alongside his general schooling, performing often with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Scotland (NYJOS).  He achieved a distinction in grade 8 drumkit as well as shining at his principal instrument, the piano.

After taking a few years out of study and concentrating on performances and touring with the NYJOS, Neil’s talents earned him a place on the prestigious bachelors degree course at Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.  This provided a dream opportunity for Neil, whose is dedicated to achieving a career in music.

How the Award Helped

Neil’s Award supported him in his studies at the Guildhall School.

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This opportunity is what I have dreamed of doing for many years. I can scarcely believe I have been so fortunate.

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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!

YEAR OF AWARD: 2013
AGE AT AWARD: 23
ARTFORMS: ,
 
 
 

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.

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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!

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2013 Awardee: Marianne Wilson

I am passionate about art and design, and my life and work are orientated around my practice

YEAR OF AWARD: 2013
AGE AT AWARD: 24
ARTFORMS:
WEBSITE:https://www.m-w-x.com/
EMAIL:marianne@m-w-x.com
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/Marianne_MWX

Biography

After growing up in Glasgow, Marianne moved to Aberdeen in 2009 to study at Gray’s School of Art.  She completed a BA (Hons) in Photographic and Electronic Media and achieved a first class degree.  After graduating, Marianne returned to Glasgow and set up practice as a self-employed visual artist.

To complement her development as a commercial artist, Marianne successfully applied for a masters course in Communication Design at the Glasgow School of Art. This offered the ideal combination of academic support, skills development and portfolio building necessary to take Marianne to the next stage of her career in the creative industries.

https://vimeo.com/user18290780

How the Award Helped

Marianne’s Award enabled her to accept her place on the Masters in Communication Design course at the Glasgow School of Art.

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I am passionate about art and design, and my life and work are orientated around my practice

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2013 Awardee: Meredith Kiemer

"Meredith's playing has a sparkle and charisma that is very rare in someone so young. She is a most promising young musician." RCS

YEAR OF AWARD: 2013
AGE AT AWARD: 8
ARTFORMS: , ,
 
 
 

Biography

When Meredith auditioned on violin and piano for the Pre-Junior Academy at the RCS, she was just eight years old and one of their youngest auditionees.  In spite of this, she impressed the panel greatly with her flair, competence and maturity and gained the joint highest mark of all entrants.

Meredith hails from a remote area of Stirlingshire, near Aberfoyle.  Having started music lessons at a young age while attending the Glasgow Gaelic School, she showed natural talent and ability but was sadly unable to continue her studies due to the significant travel involved.

After moving to a local school where music lessons were not available, Meredith practised determinedly at home.  Her her love and passion for music, and for the violin in particular, ensured she remained committed to developing her skills.  With only occasional tuition to top up her learning she achieved an outstanding level of playing, which then earned her a place at the RCS.

How the Award Helped

Meredith’s Dewar Award covered her transport costs to Glasgow and supported her in her studies at the RCS, allowing her to access the prestigious tuition she had earned and deserved.

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"Meredith's playing has a sparkle and charisma that is very rare in someone so young. She is a most promising young musician." RCS

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2013 Awardee: Rebecca Wilcox

Participating in this residency will give me a much needed period to focus and develop my practice.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2013
AGE AT AWARD: 28
ARTFORMS: ,
 
 
 

Biography

After moving to Scotland to complete a BA(hons) in Sculpture and Environmental Art, Rebecca stayed on to complete an MRes (Master of Research in Creative Studies).  She has since continued to develop her practice as an artist and has been an active contributer to the arts in Glasgow.

Rebecca has organised and curated a number of exhibitions, including presentations at the Glasgow International Festival and the CCA: Centre for Contemporary Arts.  She served for two years on the committee of Transmission Gallery and has worked for Art in Hospital, an organisation providing art programmes in a variety of healthcare settings.

Considered by the CCA to be “one of the most outstanding young artists working in Scotland today”, Rebecca’s work is described as intelligent and thoughtful with a consistent generosity towards her audience.

How the Award Helped

Rebecca received an award to support her in a prestigious six-week residency opportunity at the Banff Centre, Canada.

The residency is considered one of the best programmes internationally.  It was conceived by Will Holder, and has input from other esteemed artists, critics, curators and musicians including David Reinfurt (of Dexter Sinister) and Richard Birkett (of Artist\’s Space New York).

Through intensive workshops, discussion and studio time, the residency will allow Rebecca to investigate documentation, publishing, and improvisation as ways of approaching the creation of new works, as well as revisiting existing works.  This will provide an immense boost to Rebecca’s practice and enable her to interact with other artists and thinkers of the highest calibre.

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Participating in this residency will give me a much needed period to focus and develop my practice.

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2013 Awardee: Ross Brown

Gaining assistance from the Dewar Arts award will be a major factor in the realisation of this project, allowing me to make the most of this important opportunity to exhibit at a national level at this early stage in my career.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2013
AGE AT AWARD: 26
ARTFORMS: ,
 
 
 

Biography

Ross grew up in Clackmannanshire, in the Central Lowlands.  He moved to Dundee to study at the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, where he received a first class BA(Hons) in Fine Art in 2008 and a Masters of Fine Art with Distinction in 2010.

Now living in Edinburgh, Ross is represented by the EB&Flow Gallery in London.  Over the past two years he has exhbited at a number of shows and has garnered praise from prestigious institutions such as the Royal Scottish Academy and Saatchi Gallery, as well as from private collectors.  He has earned a reputation as being a truly talented painter with a promising career ahead of him.

How the Award Helped

Ross has received a Dewar Arts Award to help him realise his ambitions for his first solo show.

Inspired by his work exploring the derelict St Peter’s Seminary in Glasgow, Ross will create a new series of 10 to 12 large scale paintings.  The solo show will take place at the EB&Flow Gallery in Shoreditch, London.

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Gaining assistance from the Dewar Arts award will be a major factor in the realisation of this project, allowing me to make the most of this important opportunity to exhibit at a national level at this early stage in my career.

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2013 Awardee: Ross Hodgkinson

Without help from the Dewar Awards I would not have been blessed with the opportunity to study at one of the world's most renowned contemporary music schools... I have developed, both in terms of my musicianship and as a person, and for this I am very grateful.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2013
AGE AT AWARD: 17
ARTFORMS: ,
WEBSITE:https://www.rosshodgkinson.com/
EMAIL:rosshodgkinson@me.com
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/rosshodgkinson

Biography

Hailing from Stonehaven, Ross grew up in a musical family.  His parents enrolled him in drum tuition from the age of nine and his sister also earned a place at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

Over the last 8 years Ross has tackled various genres of music including Scottish Dance, Orchestral, Musical Theatre, Jazz & Pop.  He became the youngest lead drummer ever to play in an army pipe band and performed across Europe.  Joining the South Aberdeenshire Music Centre (SAMC) Big Band lit a fire inside Ross for jazz.  He went on to become a member of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Scotland, participating in several tours with special guests.

Ross was awarded the 17 & Under Young Scottish Jazz Musician Of The Year Award in 2012.  He went on to gain a scholarship to Berklee College of Music, Boston.

Ross has shown that he has the drive, talent and ability required to succeed in studying at the highest level. His tutors feel he has the potential to develop into a very creative and exciting musician.  His ambition is to become a leading musician in a variety of styles.

How the Award Helped

Ross gained a Dewar Arts Award to support him in his studies at Berklee College of Music.

Since the Award

2012 – Young Scottish Jazz Musician of the Year (17 & Under)

2014 – Ross has successfully completed his first semester of Berklee.  So far he has been fortunate enough to study with renowned drummer Bob Gullotti (JJ Johnson, John Patitucci, Joe Lovano) and Grammy Award winning Mark Walker.

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Without help from the Dewar Awards I would not have been blessed with the opportunity to study at one of the world's most renowned contemporary music schools... I have developed, both in terms of my musicianship and as a person, and for this I am very grateful.

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2013 Awardee: Brandon Brown

My award means everything to me. It is allowing me to do what I thought I would never do.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2013
AGE AT AWARD: 16
ARTFORMS: ,
WEBSITE:https://www.facebook.com/brandonbrownguitarist
 
 

Biography

Brandon’s guitar teacher describes him as “the most talented and able student I have eveer seen in over 20 years teaching”.

After starting to play the guitar at the age of 8, Brandon quickly progressed.  He says “it was all that I could think about”.  He has since gained a 92% distinction in his Grade 8 guitar exam (at just 15), and has played in the finals of numerous music competitions including the Edinburgh Guitar and Music Festival.

At 16 he became one of the youngest players ever to gain a scholarship to study at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA.

https://www.youtube.com/gibsonsgmadness

How the Award Helped

Brandon’s award will help to fund his studies at Berklee.

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My award means everything to me. It is allowing me to do what I thought I would never do.

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