2009 Awardee: Jemma Brown

I am delighted to be able to accept this award and am very grateful for the trust’s assistance.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2009
AGE AT AWARD: 25
ARTFORMS: , ,
 
 
 

Biography

Dunfermline-born Jemma got her start as a singer as a chorister at Dunfermline Abbey. She was subsequently awarded a music scholarship to St Leonard’s School in St Andrews where she continued her singing and piano playing and took up the bassoon.

Through her early life Jemma’s greatest inspiration and biggest source of encouragement was her paternal grandmother who was a musician of potential but who had to forgo her place at the Royal Academy of Music because of family circumstances. She spotted the musical talent in Jemma and encouraged her to sing and make music.

Jemma moved to Glasgow to study music at Glasgow University with Pat MacMahon, where she held a Lanfine Choral Scholarship and a Currie organ studentship. She won the Hague Prize for performance on graduating. Jemma then moved to the RSAMD for postgraduate study in singing and completed a Master of Music performance the following year studying with Kathleen McKellar Ferguson.

Jemma has now gained a coveted place on the Master of Music Opera course at RSAMD continuing her studies with McKellar Ferguson.

Jemma possesses a warm mezzo soprano voice, well suited to the larger roles in opera. Her tutors believe that there are exciting times ahead of her.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award will help towards the costs of studying towards an MMus Opera.

After a successful first year on the RSAMD opera course, during which she won the John Ireland Prize for voice and piano and made her debut at the BBC Proms with the BBC SSO, Jemma’s funding has been continued into the second and final year of her studies.

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I am delighted to be able to accept this award and am very grateful for the trust’s assistance.

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2009 Awardee: Katherine Grosset

I am determined to continue achieving at a high standard, and I have no doubt that …[the tutors] at the Guildhall can support and aid me in both setting and accomplishing my goals .. I am extremely grateful to the Dewar Arts Awards for making another year at this inspiring institution possible.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2009
AGE AT AWARD: 23
ARTFORMS: , ,
 
 
 

Biography

Mezzo-soprano Katherine Grosset from Edinburgh first studied composition and performance at the University of Glasgow graduating with an honours degree in music. She later went on to study for a Master of Music in Vocal Training at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, with Susan McCulloch. In between graduation and going to the Guildhall, she was a peripatetic Kodaly vocal instructor for the National Youth Choir of Scotland.

As well as possessing a well-trained, rich voice full of potential Katherine has a deep musicality and artistic imagination. She has had master classes with (former Dewar awardee) Karen Cargill, Rosalind Sutherland, Amy Jarman and Malcolm Martineau. Katherine is considered to have both the talent and the character to achieve great success in her chosen career.

Katherine looks forward to the challenges of a second year at Guildhall. She and her tutor are building up a bank of repertoire that she can take to competitions and auditions and perform at an exemplary level.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award will go towards the costs of studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Since the Award

In the summer of 2010, Katie graduated with an MPerf degree with distinction. A highlight of the year was singing the role of ‘Ma’ in Iain Burnside’s highly-acclaimed production of ‘Lads in their Hundreds’, which incorporates a variety of English songs by different composers about the tragedy of war. At the end of a very eventful year, Katie was awarded a fellowship by the GSMD enabling her to continue her opera studies for a further year.

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I am determined to continue achieving at a high standard, and I have no doubt that …[the tutors] at the Guildhall can support and aid me in both setting and accomplishing my goals .. I am extremely grateful to the Dewar Arts Awards for making another year at this inspiring institution possible.

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2009 Awardee: Lliam Paterson

Thank you so much …I am delighted to be offered a Dewar Arts Award … I am very grateful to the trustees ..as this will help me a great deal with my studies.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2009
AGE AT AWARD: 18
ARTFORMS: , , ,
 
 
 

Biography

Born and brought up in Aberdeenshire, Lliam is described as ‘a prodigious talent’ and ‘an irrepressible musician, both intellectual and practical’ possessing ‘artistic generosity’.

Lliam was a pupil first at Dyce Academy, Aberdeen and later at Edinburgh’s St Mary’s Music School where he studied composition, piano and horn. As a pianist, Lliam has been successful in competitions and festivals across the country and is considered to be a fine and gifted accompanist. He also plays the French horn to orchestral standard.

However, it is in his work as a composer where his prodigious musical talent is particularly evident. Lliam won a place on the National Youth Orchestra’s Composers’ Course for 2008-09. His compositions have been performed at the Sage, Gateshead, Leeds Town Hall, Aldeburgh, Royal Festival Hall, London and the RCM. In 2009 he won the Meadows Chamber Orchestra Commission Prize, who subsequently performed his piece at the Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh. In 2008 he won the Isobel Dunlop Composition Award. Both the Meadows Commission prize and the Isobel Dunlop Award were judged by James MacMillan.

Lliam is currently studying on the Music Tripos course at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. He has performed with the Cambridge University New Music Ensemble, given a solo piano recital in the Fitzwilliam College Chapel and in early 2010 will perform his commissioned piano trio with the contemporary ensemble CB3. The Fitzwilliam College Chapel Choir performed his Ave Maria in 2009. Lliam is currently working on a large-scale choral work for the Gordon Forum for the Arts.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award will support Lliam’s studies at Cambridge.

After a busy and productive year during which Lliam was awarded the Padley Repetiteur Scholarship, the second prize in the Alkan Piano Competition and received numerous commissions for new compositions, his funding has been continued for a further year. After demonstrating progress in his second year, Lliam’s funding was extended for a third and final year.

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Thank you so much …I am delighted to be offered a Dewar Arts Award … I am very grateful to the trustees ..as this will help me a great deal with my studies.

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2009 Awardee: Màiri Chaimbeul

We greatly appreciate …the tremendous influence [the Dewar Arts Awards] have in encouraging young artists such as Màiri to develop their education and career. This particular award means a great deal to Màiri. (Angus Campbell, father)

YEAR OF AWARD: 2009
AGE AT AWARD: 15
ARTFORMS: ,
 
 
 

Biography

From Sleat, the Isle of Skye, Màiri has been described as ‘outrageously talented’. Not only is she a prodigious talent on the clàrsach, but she also plays the fiddle and piano to an equally high standard. Currently studying at St Mary’s Music School in Edinburgh, Màiri is a member of the Scottish National Children’s Orchestra.

Màiri has won a number of significant music awards at the Royal National Mod and other music festivals. She is currently the youngest finalist to compete for the Director’s Recital Prize at St Mary’s Music School.

Màiri has performed on the Celtic Connections Open Stage and plays clàrsach with the Celtic fusion jazz group Kitairuri. She is considered to be one of the most talented harpists of her generation who has the potential to develop into a significant musician of the next.

To date, Màiri’s most memorable concert was at the Skye Feis with the Luminescent Orchestrii of New York, a punk-gypsy-indie-kleismer group, playing clàrsach in the context of world music. Her verdict? “Gaelic riffs alongside Balkan stomping and Russian dance and Latin sounds was great”.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award will assist Màiri to buy a professional pedal harp.

Since the Award

Since her Award, Màiri has been nominated for the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award twice, has been a finalist in the BBC Young Traditional & Jazz Musicians of the Year, and is now a graduate of the Berklee College of Music (which she attended with full scholarship).

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We greatly appreciate …the tremendous influence [the Dewar Arts Awards] have in encouraging young artists such as Màiri to develop their education and career. This particular award means a great deal to Màiri. (Angus Campbell, father)

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2009 Awardee: Nicky Spence

Thank you so much….I can’t tell you how grateful I am to ..the trustees for your generous support. It’s true to say that without this award, my life this year would be significantly more difficult.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2009
AGE AT AWARD: 26
ARTFORMS: , ,
WEBSITE:https://www.nickyspence.com
 
 

Biography

Born and brought up in rural Dumfries and Galloway, Nicky Spence showed early musical promise, which was nurtured both at school and in the community. From an early age, his goal was to sing professionally on the operatic stage.

Thanks to scholarship support he studied music at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, completing a BMus, MMus and MMP with distinction. Nicky became a bit of a star in his own right at an early stage while he was at the Guildhall after he made a well-received CD. But this did not deflect him from pursuing seriously his opera studies. He has recently gained entry to the highly-competitive and prestigious National Opera Studio.

Already Nicky has performed in some of the coolest venues in Europe and has sung with well-known singers as diverse as Dame Kiri te Kanawa, Dame Shirley Bassey and Bryn Terfel. He is a Britten-Pears Young Artist and Samling Scholar and his awards include the Kathleen Ferrier Young Singer’s Bursary Award, the Young Classical Performer of the Year nomination at the Classical Brit Awards and a place in the final of the Gold Medal at the Guildhall School.

Nicky’s teachers consider him to be one of the most gifted singers of his generation who is developing into a professionally exciting operatic tenor. British Youth Opera cast him as Tom Rakewell in the 2009 production of Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress. For more information about Nicky, see www.nickyspence.com.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award will help with Nicky’s studies at the National Opera Studio.

Since the Award

During the year, Nicky was selected to represent the Studio in the annual Bruce Millar Opera Prize and repaid their confidence by bringing the prize back after many years absence. He writes that “one of the most useful elements of the Studio is its ready connection with outside entities who are working in the operatic arena.” As a result he had the opportunity during the year of working with renowned singers, directors and conductors as well as auditioning for many of the major opera companies. Nicky has won principal roles in 2010-2011 at Scottish Opera (debut), ENO, Opera North, Opera Holland Park and in Paris and America.

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Thank you so much….I can’t tell you how grateful I am to ..the trustees for your generous support. It’s true to say that without this award, my life this year would be significantly more difficult.

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2009 Awardee: Patrick Kenny

I am delighted to accept your generous award.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2009
AGE AT AWARD: 20
ARTFORMS: ,
 
 
 

Biography

Edinburgh-born Patrick comes from a musical family, both his parents are musicians, and at an early age he showed himself also to be an exceptionally talented musician.

In 2007 Patrick won a Dewar Arts Award to attend the Beijing International Trombone Festival. Of his experiences there, he writes, “I had an unforgettable and extremely valuable experience and I cannot thank [the trustees] enough for their generous support, without which this incredible learning experience would have been completely impossible for me.”  Following the festival, Patrick had classes with Niels Ole-Bo Johansen at the Royal Danish Conservatoire and Pete Madson at the University of Nebraska, USA.

Patrick spent a gap year playing music and travelling the world. He went to India with the Ronak Baja Indian Fusion Band, to Toronto with the Tommy Smith Youth Jazz Orchestra and to Europe with the Carnyx Youth Brass to play at the Philharmonie Essen in Germany where his brass quintet was broadcast on German radio. He has been a member of the European Youth Jazz Orchestra, Edinburgh Youth Orchestra, Grand Union Orchestra, among many others. He has played in venues such as the Royal Festival Hall, Barbican and Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, the Usher Hall in Edinburgh and the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.

In January 2009 Patrick was featured both as soloist and composer on the BBC Radio 3’s Jazz Line-Up with his composition ‘Turbulent Times’. Patrick is now studying classical and jazz music at the Guildhall School of Music.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award is helping Patrick with the costs of studying in London at the Guildhall School of Music.

Since the Award

After a successful year, of which the highlights include being selected as a member of the London Sinfonietta Academy 2010 and reaching the semi finals of the BBC Young Brass Soloist 2010, Patrick’s funding has been continued for a further year.

After a further successful year at the Guildhall School of Music, the trustees were pleased to extend their support of Patrick into his final year.

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I am delighted to accept your generous award.

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2009 Awardee: Paul Kirby

Thank you for … the wonderful news of my Dewar Arts Award. I am delighted to accept [it] and wish to thank sincerely the trustees.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2009
AGE AT AWARD: 27
ARTFORMS: ,
 
 
 

Biography

Paul Kirby’s first degree was in maths at Cambridge. Born and brought up in Edinburgh, Paul’s passion is jazz piano and composition. For the past five years, he has been an integral part of the jazz scene in Edinburgh, Scotland and beyond, performing over 1500 gigs both in solo performance or with the Paul Kirby Trio, Camerata Ritmata and Ken Mathieson’s Classic Jazz Orchestra, amongst many others.

Paul is regarded as one of the two most outstanding young jazz pianists in Scotland. He is accomplished in a variety of musical genres and roles – he is considered to be both a wonderful soloist and a supportive and inspiring accompanist. Paul has released two trio records as a leader with German bassist, Martin Zenker, and Chicago drummer, Adam Sorenson.

Paul has studied privately with Jason Moran, George Colligan and Kenny Werner. He is currently studying for a Master of Jazz Piano Performance at the Mason Gross School of Music, Rutgers, New Jersey with distinguished pianist Stanley Cowell.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award will help Paul complete the second year of his master’s programme

Since the Award

During his second year of study, Paul lived in Brooklyn to be able to accept invitations to play in some of the iconic jazz venues in NYC. He writes that all his time was taken up by practising or being at school during the day and playing or watching music at night.

Paul successfully graduated with a Master of Music from Rutgers, where he performed an “outstanding recital”. He will stay in NYC until the end of 2010, playing at every opportunity, rubbing shoulders with some of his musical heroes and generally soaking up the intense atmosphere of the most exciting city in the world for a young jazz musician.

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Thank you for … the wonderful news of my Dewar Arts Award. I am delighted to accept [it] and wish to thank sincerely the trustees.

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2009 Awardee: Rachel Fisher

Thank you for enabling me to fulfil my aims in life.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2009
AGE AT AWARD: 24
ARTFORMS: ,
 
 
 

Biography

From Bathgate, Rachel Fisher studied music at Napier University, Edinburgh, specialising in guitar performance. She graduated in 2008 with a first-class honours degree, achieving the highest recital mark awarded by the University to date.   Rachel is a winner of the Edinburgh Festival Competition for Music. Her performance was rated as being both ‘sensitive and heartfelt’ and she was commended for her potential to be ‘an outstanding guitarist and musician.’

A keen composer, Rachel has produced some excellent work. Her winning entry into a national competition entitled ‘Whatever happened to music?’ was subsequently performed and recorded live by the Paragon Ensemble. Rachel herself has performed in a variety of venues ranging from quaint church halls to some of Edinburgh’s most prestigious venues, including St Giles Cathedral and Edinburgh Castle’s Grand Hall. She writes, “What captivates me about performance is the aspect of communication … I have a deep love for music and my aim is to be a performer of great status.”

Rachel was offered a place on the Masters programme of all five conservatoires she auditioned for. She will study for a Master of Music at the Birmingham Conservatoire with Mark Ashford and Mark Eden.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award will provide essential financial assistance during her postgraduate studies at Birmingham.

Since the Award

Rachel successfully completed a Master of Music in guitar performance, with Commendation. She is now a guitar mentor for the National Youth Guitar Ensemble and a peripatetic guitar tutor for Stewart Melville School in Edinburgh. Rachel writes, “Living as a performer / artist is not ony rewarding but it has reaffirmed that this is what I have always wanted to do. I thoroughly enjoy sharing my music with people.”

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Thank you for enabling me to fulfil my aims in life.

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2008 Awardee: Bede Williams

I write in appreciation of the award that you recently made available to me for my Masters in Conducting at RSAMD…. Your support comes at what I feel is a critical time.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2008
AGE AT AWARD: 23
ARTFORMS: ,
 
 
 

Biography

New Zealand-born Bede Williams came to Scotland in 2003 as an Associated Board International Scholar to study at the RSAMD. He came as a trumpeter and graduated with a first-class honours degree. While an undergraduate he won the prestigious Philip Jones Memorial Prize, competing against wind players much older than himself, and won the coveted RSAMD Governor’s recital prize.

Bede impressed from the start as a musician of prodigious talent and individuality. In addition to being an exceptional trumpeter, he demonstrated a flair for electro acoustic performance and composition and worked with numerous professional orchestras. He is a founding member of the Alba Brass Quartet.

Bede continued his studies at RSAMD in conducting, again demonstrating prodigious potential and talent as a conductor both on a technical and musical level. He has already conducted the Hebrides ensemble and the RSNO. His tutors confidently expect him to go on to a highly successful career combining his talents as a conductor, performer and composer.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award will enable Bede to join the Master of Conducting course at RSAMD.

Since the Award

After delaying entry for a year onto the masters course in order to participate in the RSAMD Emergent Leaders programme, Bede graduated the following year with a Master of Music (Distinction). In 2010-11 he is conductor of the Lomond and Clyde Community Orchestra, the Penland Singers and the Bo’ness and Carriden Brass Band. He teaches trumpet at St Mary’s Music School, Edinburgh and continues to play trumpet for the Alba Brass Quintet.

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I write in appreciation of the award that you recently made available to me for my Masters in Conducting at RSAMD…. Your support comes at what I feel is a critical time.

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2008 Awardee: Blair Mowat

Please extend my thanks to the trustees for this Dewar Arts Award. I am honoured to be a recipient.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2008
AGE AT AWARD: 21
ARTFORMS: ,
WEBSITE:https://www.blairmowat.co.uk
EMAIL:blair@blairmowat.co.uk
TWITTER: https://www.dewarawards.org/twitter.com/blairmowat

Biography

Edinburgh-born and bred Blair studied composition from an early age, first with Kenneth Dempster and later with Eddie McGuire. It has been an ambition of Blair’s to write music for film since a young age, when he took an intensive short course in film scoring with two times Emmy award winning composer, Hummie Mann.

He studied music at Durham University before going on to pursue an MA in Composition of Music for Film and TV at Bristol University. Blair studied conducting under RSNO Associate Conductor, James Lowe, and has conducted various ensembles over the years, including the Durham University Hill Orchestra.

Blair is the co-founder of the Durham Opera Ensemble and currently Composer In Residence with the experimental theatre company, Captain Theatre. June 2007 saw the world premiere of his opera Hamlet Versus Lear, which premiered at OpFest and he has recently finished a commission for Channel 4.  He has been commissioned to write the theatre score for Jay Parini’s new play Mary Postgate, which will be premiered at the 2008 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award will help support Blair through his postgraduate studies at Bristol University.

Since the Award

Blair writes that his year at Bristol “was invaluable in allowing me to progress as a composer and taught me many specific skills in how best to synchronise my music to film.” Alongside studying composing for film, Blair conducted the student orchestra, Bristol Symphonia, set up the Bristol Film Orchestra and directed a short fiction film which was subsequently shown at a number of film festivals. Blair was awarded an MA with Distinction as well as receiving a number of other accolades, including winning the Exposures Film Festival National Composing Competition and receiving a 4Talent Nomination.

Since leaving Bristol Blair has gone on to compose for over a hundred projects for film, television and theatre. Included in those are Stephen Fry reading The Happy Prince for Sky Arts, the feature film Frequencies, episodes of BBC’s flagship science documentary Horizon, and a new ballet for The English National Ballet. As a musical arranger he has found himself working on high profile projects such Doctor Who and David’ Attenborough’s Life Story. In 2012 he was nominated for a BAFTA New Talent Award and also a Creative Scotland Award for ‘ Best New Talent in the Scottish Arts’.

For Blair’s portfolio of compositions and other work, see www.blairmowat.co.uk.

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Bradley Manning Had Secrets from Animate Projects with score from Blair Mowat

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Please extend my thanks to the trustees for this Dewar Arts Award. I am honoured to be a recipient.

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