2006 Awardee: Gillian Horn

Gillian has made great progress in the few weeks since the new bassoon was delivered, and is enjoying her playing much more. (Stewart Horn, father)

YEAR OF AWARD: 2006
AGE AT AWARD: 13
ARTFORMS: ,
 
 
 

Biography

From Eaglesham in Glasgow, Gillian Horn started playing bassoon three years ago when she was 10. From the start she impressed as a natural musician with an affinity with the bassoon.

She has been playing with an inferior instrument on loan from the local authority. In fact, it has astounded her teachers that her playing has been so good on such a poor instrument. Gillian is a member of the National Children’s Orchestra of Scotland, sometimes playing principal bassoon, and has now been accepted onto the RSAMD YouthWorks, a programme for talented young musicians. She also plays in school and local authority bands, in fact, whenever she has the opportunity.

At age 13, it is uncertain whether Gillian will progress to become a professional musician. However, at this stage she certainly has the potential in her technique and style of performance to become one.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award helped towards the purchase of a good quality bassoon for Gillian.

Since the Award

According to Gillian, when she played her old bassoon she sounded like a duck on occasion. Since getting her new bassoon she has joined the Edinburgh and Aberdeen Youth Orchestras, the East Renfrewshire Schools Symphony Orchestra and the RSAMD Youthworks First Orchestra.  Gillian rapidly reached Grade 8 level and has received more compliments from professional musicians on her tone quality than, well,a duck quacks in a day.

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Gillian has made great progress in the few weeks since the new bassoon was delivered, and is enjoying her playing much more. (Stewart Horn, father)

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2006 Awardee: Graeme Brown

Thank you very much for this wonderful opportunity - I can now develop my playing and in the long run be better prepared for the profession.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2006
AGE AT AWARD: 18
ARTFORMS: ,
 
 
 

Biography

For the past two years, Graeme, from Windygates in Fife, has been a student on the RSAMD YouthWorks programme and is now studying for a degree in music also at RSAMD, Glasgow.

Thanks to a commitment and discipline rarely seen in an eighteen-year-old, Graeme has made enormous progress in playing the bassoon and he now shows great potential to become a bassoonist of note. One of his recent performances was of a concerto for bassoon and trumpet with John Wallace, principal of RSAMD, on trumpet.

In preparation for his musical studies, Graeme has been raising finances to buy a performance standard bassoon.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award helped Graeme buy a professional standard bassoon.

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Thank you very much for this wonderful opportunity - I can now develop my playing and in the long run be better prepared for the profession.

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2006 Awardee: Hamish Napier

YEEEEE HAAAA! This is something I've been really hoping for for ages!

YEAR OF AWARD: 2006
AGE AT AWARD: 23
ARTFORMS: ,
 
 
 

Biography

Hamish is a Scottish traditional musician based in Glasgow. He performs with multi-award-winning band Back of the Moon (voted ‘Best Folk Band’ at the 2005 Scots Trad Awards) and with the Hamish Napier Duos.

Also at the 2005 Scots Trad Awards he was nominated for the ‘Best Up and Coming Act’ in the solo category and a year later was a finalist in the Young Scottish Traditional Musician of the Year Award at Celtic Connections.

Hamish, from Grantown on Spey, started studying piano and flute at the age of 10. He grew up in a family steeped in the traditions of Scottish music and plays whistle, wooden flute and Scottish piano, sings and stepdances (traditional Scottish tapdancing). Several of his family members are also accomplished Scottish Traditional Musicians.

Hamish is increasingly recognized for his whistle and flute playing. He has received tuition from Marc Duff, Iain MacDonald and Niall Keegan and performed with virtuoso flautist Brian Finnegan in the Celtic Connections ‘Master and Apprentice’ concert series.

He also regularly teaches workshops and at festivals to nurture Scottish Traditional musicianship.

How the Award Helped

As a musician at the top of his game, Hamish has to have instruments that match his abilities and talents. The Dewar Arts Awards enabled Hamish to buy a Bb wooden flute.

Since the Award

Since receiving the flute, Hamish has recorded on over a dozen albums with leading musicians and has collaborated with many of the UK’s finest folk musicians on TV and radio. He went on to study jazz at Strathclyde University and in 2011 was offered a scholarship to Berklee College of Music in Boston.

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YEEEEE HAAAA! This is something I've been really hoping for for ages!

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2006 Awardee: Hazel Turnbull

These pipes will make a huge difference to the sound quality of my music. Thanks again, I really appreciate it.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2006
AGE AT AWARD: 17
ARTFORMS: ,
 
 
 

Biography

Seventeen-year-old Hazel Turnbull hopes to study Scottish Music when she finishes school in 2007. Currently she is part of the RSAMD YouthWorks programme for Scottish Music and Pipes.

Brought up in Livingston, Hazel has been an integral player in the Boghall and Bathgate Caledonia Juvenile Pipe Band for over four years. The band was runner-up in the 2006 Scottish Championships and accepts only the top young players into its pipe corps. Hazel is also lead percussionist in her school band. Her other interests are writing poetry and short stories.

Hazel has the vital attributes to be a successful piper, namely raw talent, drive and dedication. To reach the highest level, though, a player needs a top quality instrument to work with, which is why she approached the Dewar Arts Awards for assistance.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Awards funded the purchase of a set of Henderson Classic Highland bagpipes.

Since the Award

After Hazel bought her new pipes, she was amazed at the improved tone of her playing. Hazel is now studying music at Aberdeen University and has joined the Bucksburn and District Grade 2 Pipe Band, an achievement of which she is very proud.

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These pipes will make a huge difference to the sound quality of my music. Thanks again, I really appreciate it.

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2006 Awardee: Helen Armes

I am really enjoying my time in Guildford. It is, of course, very challenging at times and it requires a lot of hard work, but this is exactly what I had hoped for.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2006
AGE AT AWARD: 19
ARTFORMS: ,
 
 
 

Biography

Helen Armes has wanted to be an actor from an early age. Her family moved to Scotland from Lancashire when she was 11 and since then she has appeared regularly with the Lyceum Youth Theatre. This involvement led to a professional performance at the Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh and leading roles in two children’s TV serials for BBC Scotland.

From the moment Helen walked into the audition for the first TV show, the director knew that she was an exceptional talent for a 15-year-old. When it came to the second show, the development of her talent was clear. He is certain that, with the right training, she has all the attributes to become an actor of stature on the British stage.

Helen has won a place at the Guildford School of Acting to study for three years. Despite a Dance and Drama Award, she would not have been able to accept the place without additional financial support.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award has provided that additional support to enable Helen to pursue her dreams of becoming an actor.

Since the Award

Helen’s funding has been continued for a further year into 2007. She writes, “I have had an incredibly fulfilling first year at GSA. I have enjoyed the lessons, the teachers, and the challenges, as well as my development as both  person and an actor, and I know that I could not have reached this stage without such a high quality of training.”

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I am really enjoying my time in Guildford. It is, of course, very challenging at times and it requires a lot of hard work, but this is exactly what I had hoped for.

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2006 Awardee: Holly Lawson

Singing and music is my life, it is a part of who I am and is something which I have a burning desire to do well

YEAR OF AWARD: 2006
AGE AT AWARD: 21
ARTFORMS: ,
 
 
 

Biography

Everyone who hears Holly Lawson sing agrees that they are listening to someone with an extra-special talent. One of her referees heard her sing when she was a secondary school pupil at the National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music in Plockton and was struck by the power and intensity and maturity of her voice. Her voice tutor at Berklee College of Music, Boston, where she is now studying, was ‘blown away’ from the moment she first her Holly sing.

As a first semester student, Holly won a coveted solo spot in the twice-yearly sold-out Singers Night Concert hosted by Berklee, which is a remarkable achievement in itself. She received a standing ovation for her performance. Holly is considered to be one of the most gifted traditional singers of her generation.

Native of the Isle of Skye, Holly was unsuccessful the first time she was nominated for a Dewar Arts Award. Undaunted, she raised money to get herself to Boston for one semester, believing passionately that this was the place where she could fully develop and train her voice.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Awards is helping to fund Holly through her studies at Berklee.

Since the Award

Holly writes that “being a student at Berklee has allowed me to learn about all aspects of music so that I am now a confident, enthusiastic and well-rounded musician.” She concludes that “I have a burning desire to succeed in the music industry and the tools I have learned here have enabled me to go out and make it happen.”

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Singing and music is my life, it is a part of who I am and is something which I have a burning desire to do well

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2006 Awardee: James Mackenzie

I walk from my Halls of Residence to the RSAMD via Buchanan Street every morning and evening. I pass the statue of Donald Dewar and never fail to acknowledge to myself the contribution the “Dewar” has made to my music career. I hope as my studies progress the best is yet to come.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2006
AGE AT AWARD: 17
ARTFORMS: ,
 
 
 

Biography

Unfortunately for all the other young budding pipers on the Isle of Lewis, James Mackenzie has won the ‘Best Local Piper in Lewis’ accolade since 1998 and has been the ‘Young Piper of the Year’ in his age group for the last five years.

Seventeen-year-old James is the current and last year’s Scottish Junior Piping Champion. As part of his prize last year he went to the USA for two weeks’ piping tuition. Not only is James a piper of exceptional talent, who has been winning championships since he started piping at the age of 8, but he’s also a very talented classical flautist.

James is one of those talents that stand out from the crowd. His solo performances in piping have equalled the high standard of the world’s finest pipers. Music comes easily to James, and he is also a talented composer. This year he will go to Benbecula to study traditional music and thereafter to RSAMD in Glasgow to study for a music degree.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award enabled James to buy a set of small pipes and a wooden flute.

Since the Award

The impact on James’s musical development of having these new instruments has been immense. He writes that “when my new instruments arrived and I started to play them I found new expression and freedom”.  James is now studying for a degree in Scottish Traditional Music at RSAMD and was a finalist in the BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year.

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I walk from my Halls of Residence to the RSAMD via Buchanan Street every morning and evening. I pass the statue of Donald Dewar and never fail to acknowledge to myself the contribution the “Dewar” has made to my music career. I hope as my studies progress the best is yet to come.

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2006 Awardee: Jamie Tetsill

I was so thrilled and honoured to receive an award

YEAR OF AWARD: 2006
AGE AT AWARD: 24
ARTFORMS: , ,
 
 
 

Biography

Brought up in Falkirk, Jamie Tetsill graduated from Glasgow School of Art in 2005 with a first-class honours degree in textile design. After graduation, Jamie was one of 24 young hopeful fashion designers to be invited to showcase his work at international fashion exhibitions in London and Paris.

This confirmed his ambition to embark on a career in fashion. James successfully competed for a place on the prestigious and intense masters in fashion at Central St. Martins, London, which has launched the careers of many of Britain’s brightest and hottest fashion designers.

As an undergraduate, Jamie impressed with his outstanding creativity and ability to challenge orthodox approaches with flair and panache. Twenty-four year old Jamie is working towards his fashion collection to complete his Masters. It promises to combine both creativity and experimentation to produce an interesting and dynamic collection.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Awards helped fund the costs of making and producing Jamie’s final collection.

Since the Award

While still at Central St Martins, Jamie was invited to meet legendary designer Donna Karen and talk her through his folio of designs. He was one of only 20 MA students to be invited to show his degree collection during London Fashion Week. This resulted in lots of media attention after which Jamie was nominated for one of the Scottish Fashion Award’s New Talent Awards.

As part of the Glasgow Fashion Collective, Jamie showed his second collection the following year at London Fashion Week. He is now developing his own label.

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I was so thrilled and honoured to receive an award

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2006 Awardee: Jennifer McVey

I would like to cultivate more links between the thriving theatre scene in Scotland and on Broadway and off-Broadway, allowing artists to cross over between the two more easily. I am very excited about the emergence of the National Theatre of Scotland

YEAR OF AWARD: 2006
AGE AT AWARD: 23
ARTFORMS: ,
WEBSITE:https://www.abroadstageco.com
 
 

Biography

Jennifer McVey, whose Glasgow roots go back generations, has been involved in the arts and theatre from a very young age. As a child she studied dance, singing and the violin, and was a member of both the Inverclyde Youth Theatre and the Scottish Youth Theatre.

Jennifer gained a degree in English and Theatre Studies at Glasgow University followed by a year working at the renowned Citizen’s Theatre, Glasgow. From there she was accepted on an internship with Signature Theatre, New York and then, after successful audition, she was one of 20 students accepted onto the Master of Fine Arts (Acting) course at the New School for Drama (formerly Actors’ Studio Drama School), New York. Former alumni of the School include Dustin Hoffman, Jack Nicholson, Robert de Niro and Meryl Streep.

According to the Director of the School, Jennifer’s audition was ‘a real stand-out’. “I’ve seen it all” he writes, but Jennifer stood out as possessing “an originality of talent and the brightest of futures for any incoming candidate.”

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Awards is contributing towards the first year of Jennifer’s studies.

After a successful first two years at the New School for Drama, where her tutor writes  that ‘her ability to absorb and make her own concepts and approaches to subtle psychological nuances in characterisation, relationship and emotional depth separate her from scores of other [drama students]’, Jennifer’s award has been extended for a third and final year.

Since the Award

Jennifer graduated from New School of Drama, New York in May 2009. She immediately launched into auditions, was signed up by two agents and cast in a workshop production of a new musical based on the Nicholas Sparks novel ‘The Notebook’. She is also a founding member of a new theatre company of young actors, ABroad Stage Company (see www.abroadstageco.com). Jennifer writes, “I feel that my three years at the New School were absolutely invaluable for me and the training has really shaped me as an actor and given me a solid basis from which to grow and develop into the artist I am going to be.”

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I would like to cultivate more links between the thriving theatre scene in Scotland and on Broadway and off-Broadway, allowing artists to cross over between the two more easily. I am very excited about the emergence of the National Theatre of Scotland

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2006 Awardee: Jonathan Carr

I thank the trustees for this kind and generous award which will help me achieve my dream of becoming a successful jazz vocalist

YEAR OF AWARD: 2006
AGE AT AWARD: 17
ARTFORMS: ,
 
 
 

Biography

Jonathan is the first jazz vocalist from Scotland to win a place at Berklee College of Music, Boston.

From an early age, he has had an ambition to become a jazz singer and musician. He was the first singer to perform with Tommy Smith’s National Youth Jazz Orchestra and has been wowing all the top jazz musicians since, including Fionna Duncan, Sheila Jordan and Sophie Bancroft.

Jonathan, from Wishaw, is considered to be an outstanding and unique talent in Scotland with a voice, musicality and performance abilities that are described as ‘breathtaking’. One of Scotland’s top jazz musicians writes, “his talent is extraordinary, his potential is enormous and he stands out by miles from a very worthy set of peers.” At his age, this is a rare talent which requires expert nurturing and tuition to enable him to achieve the top of his artistic career.

Jonathan joins a growing and enormously talented group of young Scottish jazz and traditional musicians at Berklee.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award will help towards Jonathan’s expenses to study at Berklee.

Since the Award

After his first year at Berklee, Jonathan writes, “Before I came to Berklee I was strictly a jazz singer but I have developed both as a jazz singer and as a singer/songwriter. When I went home for the summer I reached the final of the BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year held with the Glasgow Jazz Festival …… and I think the people who had heard me sing before saw the effect that just a few months at Berklee has had on me.”

Jonathan was offered third year support to continue at Berklee, but wrote to say that ‘it is best for my career that I move on and focus on trying to make a successful career as a recording artist’. He goes on to say that ‘your help changed my life and there is no doubt none of this would have happened if it hadn’t been for your continued generosity’.

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I thank the trustees for this kind and generous award which will help me achieve my dream of becoming a successful jazz vocalist

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