Biography

Caroline Sharp has lived in the North-East of Scotland all her life. She is already recognised as one of Scotland’s foremost young violinists.

Caroline’s ambition is to become a professional musician. She is equally proficient on the piano. Caroline has been offered places to study music by four of the country’s leading conservatoires, and has chosen to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London under Maurice Hasson.

Caroline is considered to be a young artist of exceptional merit, one who combines the innate natural talent to produce the most glorious violin sound with artistic temperament, technique and a flair to perform. Her teachers at the ACMS believe that under Maurice Hasson, Caroline has the opportunity to develop her potential fully and become one of the best violinists Scotland has produced.

Caroline started learning to play the violin at 7 and was accepted into the Aberdeen City Music School when she was 11. She has been part of both the National Children’s Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland, the National Youth Orchestra String Ensemble, Camerata Scotland and is currently first violin with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award will help Caroline with the considerable expenses related to studying in a major city. In her first year at the Academy, Caroline writes that she learnt more than she possibly imagined she would. In her end of year performance, she achieved a staggering 90% and gained a Highly Commended in the John Waterhouse Prize.

During her second year Caroline joined the European Union Youth Orchestra and in 2009 toured Europe with Vladimir Ashkenazy and Andrew Litton. A highlight of Caroline’s third year was performing as a soloist in Glasgow and Blackheath, London. In 2010, she toured again with the EUYO playing in some of the most prestigious concert halls in Europe, including the Royal Albert Hall during the BBC Proms.

Since the Award

Biography

Catriona is considered to be a musician of great energy and panache with the potential to become a leading player both in classical violin and traditional fiddle playing.

Born and bred in Orkney, Catriona started out learning traditional Scottish fiddle playing until her teacher persuaded her that classical music was just as ‘cool’. Now she excels in both styles. Catriona has had success in the BBC Radio Scotland’s Young Traditional Musician of the Year twice reaching the semi-final. She has already made her mark in composing much of her own material, drawing on her Orcadian roots.

Catriona spent her last two school years at St Mary’s Music School in Edinburgh before winning a scholarship to study violin at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester under Leland Chen. In 2006 she played in the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall as sub-principal second violin in the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain under Sir Colin Davis.

How the Award Helped

Catriona owns a German-made violin and now needs a bow of equal quality to match it. The Dewar Arts Awards enabled Catriona to buy a high-quality violin bow.

Since the Award

Biography

Charlotte is passionate about music. Her first TV appearance was at the age of five when she sang a solo alongside Carol Smillie.

Charlotte began playing the violin at the age of eight and piano when she was ten. She is also a very promising singer and in 2007 became a member of the National Youth Choir of Scotland. In the same year Charlotte won the BBC Radio 2 Young Chorister of the Year competition.

Since 2004 she has been a student of the RSAMD, Glasgow Junior Academy where she is co-principal second violin of the First Orchestra. Since 2006 she has been part of the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland. She is also a member of the Junior Chorus of the RSNO, the Starlight Youth Music Theatre, the National Youth String Orchestra of Scotland and the West of Scotland Schools Symphony Orchestra.

Her ambition is to become a professional musician, and already Charlotte shows ability and potential above her years. Her dream is to buy a violin of the quality of the Benjamin Banks violin she has had on loan for some time.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award was given to contribute towards the purchase of the purchase of a professional standard violin.

Since the Award

Pooling her Dewar Arts Award with other scholarships and awards, Charlotte was able to buy a violin by 18th century maker, Benjamin Banks. Since then she gained ABRSM Grade 8 distinction and, amongst other achievements, was highly commended in the Nan Christie Memorial Cup for Strings Open Violin competition at RSAMD.

Charlotte has also begun composing and won the opportunity to compose a short chamber music work under the tutelage of John Maxwell Geddes. Her work was subsequently performed by the Paragon Ensemble in 2008.

Biography

Glasgow-born Christina Knox started to learn the violin at the age of six and has immersed herself in musical activities since then. She has performed with Scotland’s Children’s and Youth Orchestras, NYOS Futures and the prestigious Camerata Scotland, where she was leader on its summer tour in 2006. In 2001 she won a scholarship from the Glasgow Music Festival to attend a European Youth Summer Music Course, and two years’ running she won the St Mungo Trophy and the Grace Dick Memorial Prize for String Playing.

Christina is currently on a joint course at the University of Manchester and the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester where she is achieving success. In her first and second years at College she won the Hargreaves Fund Prize for coming top of the year. Christina is particularly passionate about chamber music and regularly performs recitals in and around Manchester with her string quartet. Her long-term ambition is to become a top-flight performer in Scotland.

Christina has been playing with a bow which was bought a long time ago. In order to achieve her full potential she needs a professional bow to take her into her career.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award enabled Christina to purchase such a professional-quality violin bow.

Since the Award

Biography

Edinburgh-born Colin was brought up in Peebles in the Scottish Borders. He won an assisted place at St Mary’s Music School, Edinburgh, where he studies violin, viola and composition. Since the age of ten Colin has been set on a career in classical music performance. Towards that end, his ambition is to study music at one of the London music conservatoires.

Colin led the NYOS Strings in their 2007 Spring concert and performs with the RSAMD Orchestra, the Salomon Chamber Orchestra and the Yetholm Sinfonia. He is leader of the Borders Chamber Orchestra and has co-led the Peebles Orchestra. He also leads both the orchestra and the top quartet in St Mary’s Music School. In earlier years, he performed with Scotland’s Children’s and Youth Orchestras. Colin recently held his first solo recital in Cumbria.

Colin currently plays on a borrowed violin. He is considered to be an exceptionally gifted young violinist both technically and musically and one of the most able violinists in the School.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award enabled Colin to buy a quality violin to take into his studies and performing career.

Since the Award

Biography

Despite his young age, Daniel has performed solo and as part of a group at many top traditional music festivals, including Celtic Connections, Ar Ais Aris and the Edinburgh Fiddle Festival. An extremely gifted multi-instrumentalist, he has won several All Scotland titles and has represented Scotland at All Britain and All Ireland competitions through the Comhaltas organisation. Daniel specialises in the performance of Irish traditional music.

From a musical family, Daniel’s ambition is to study traditional music at the RSAMD in Glasgow. All his four siblings play music. Besides displaying his prodigious talents in performances, Daniel exudes a great sense of fun and joy when playing which engages audiences in a remarkable fashion. Daniel has a particular flair for both Irish dance tunes and slow airs and has enormous potential as a player in the Irish traditional music scene in its international context.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Awards enabled Daniel to buy a Rab Cherry fiddle.

Since the Award