Biography

Born in Glasgow, classical guitarist Shubbe Kabanda has been involved in music from an early age. Initially playing percussion and participating in school and community choirs, she later took up the guitar. During her senior years of secondary education, she was chosen to receive cello lessons, which inspired her to progress down the path of becoming a classical musician. Her season at the Junior Conservatoire reinforced her desire for music and kickstarted her journey into higher education. She is now an undergraduate at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland under the tutelage of Sasha Savaloni.

In 2023, Shubbe achieved runner-up in Glasgow’s Scottish Young Musician Competition at the City Halls. She was part of the 2022 and 2023 Big Guitar Weekend events at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. She was also a part of the Glasgow CREATE guitar ensemble, choirs, and percussion ensemble, performing in their Christmas and spring concerts. For the Gold Music Leadership Award in secondary school, she was given the opportunity to work with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, volunteering in the community.

How the Award Helped

Shubbe’s award helped her to purchase a classical guitar and supports her BMus studies at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

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

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

Biography

Edinburgh-born Sean Shibe started to learn the guitar when he was seven. A year later he won a place at the City of Edinburgh Music School and quickly developed his natural talent. In 2006, the teaching of Marek Pasciezcny inspired Sean to concentrate solely on the guitar. A year later he was offered a place at Aberdeen City Music School.

Sean’s first public solo was at the Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh when he was eight years’ old, as part of the Edinburgh Schools Showcase Concert. In 2007, still only 15, he performed his first full, solo public recital in Edinburgh. After the performance, the composer Haflidi Hallgrimsson approached him directly to invite him to collaborate on the reworking of Hallgrimsson’s piece ‘Jacob’s Ladder’, which Sean performed at the 2008 Edinburgh Fringe.  Still at the age of 15, he received scholarship offers from a number of leading UK conservatoires and took his place at RSAMD in 2007 as the youngest musician to ever enter the academy.

Sean has been a member of the NCOS, as a ‘cellist, and a member of the National Youth Guitar Ensemble of Great Britain, under Gerald Garcia. He has been a well known young player of classical guitar in Scotland since he was 11 years old. Sean is both an exciting prospect for the future as well as an engaging and talented performer of the present. He is one of the most talented young guitarists around today.

How the Award Helped

Since the Award

In 2008, Sean was a finalist in the first senior competition he entered, the “Westfalian Guitar Spring” in Germany, and later that same year received the Chanterelle Guitar Prize.  In 2009 he won both the Silver Medal at the 5th Ligita International Guitar Competition in Liechtenstein and, later, the 12th Ivor Mairants Guitar Competition run by the Worshipful Company of Musicians. He was the first British winner of this prestigious event, which offers Sean the opportunity to audition for concert performances at the Wigmore Hall in London.

Following his achievement in Liechtenstein, Sean was offered a master class with the Cuban, Leo Brouwer, renowned composer for guitar. In 2011, Sean won the String Section prize of the Royal Overseas League Music Competition, only the second guitarist to achieve this.

Sean performed as part of our 10th Anniversary Celebrations. Find out more here.

Update 2020:

Sean has gone on to become one of the most accomplished and celebrated guitarists of his generation.

Sean was the first ever guitarist to be selected as a BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist. He has since been featured on numerous BBC programmes including ‘Front Row’, ‘Inside Music’, and a special series entitled ‘Sean Shibe’s Guitar Zone’.

In 2018, Sean received the Royal Philharmonic Society Award for Young Artists – the first ever guitarist to do so – and in 2019, won a ‘Concept Album’ Gramophone Award for his critically-acclaimed recording ‘softLOUD’. His latest album has topped the Official Chart for specialist classical music and he has recently signed a multi-album deal with Pentatone.

Sean has performed internationally at renowned venues and festivals, has appeared with world-leading orchestras and has collaborated with artists including the BBC Singers and performance artist/art filmmaker Marina Abramovic. His imaginative performance programmes include newly commissioned works, expanding the repertoire of the guitar and giving new voice to the instrument.

Sean is a truly exceptional Scottish artist and we are proud to have been part of his journey.

Biography

Fife-born Daniel Short recently graduated from the University of Strathclyde with a first-class honours degree and as the winner of the ‘Alexander Stone Solo Performance Award’.
One of a small band of Scottish jazz guitarists, Daniel won a coveted place on the Masters course in jazz guitar performance at the Royal Academy of Music. He is currently resident guitarist with the award-winning Strathclyde Jazz Orchestra, the Tommy Smith Youth Jazz Orchestra and principal guitarist with the Strathclyde Guitar Ensemble.

Daniel hopes to champion the development of a unique Scottish jazz voice in guitar, especially now that jazz music is becoming a strong feature of Scottish culture.

Daniel stood out from the crowd at the University of Strathclyde with his exceptional talent, musicality and dedication to become an accomplished performer. Progressing to the Royal Academy of Music is the next step to develop his talent.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award is helping to finance Daniel through a Master of Arts in jazz guitar performance.

In his first year at the Academy, Daniel participated in master classes with Dave Liebman, Jerry Bergonzi, John Taylor, Jason Moran and Joe Lovano.  A jazz group which Daniel helped set up at the Academy competed in the International Kodolanyi Jazz Competition in Hungary, where they won a special award.

Since the Award