Biography

Steven Graham ranks winning the World Pipe Championships as a member of the Shotts and Dykehead Pipe Band as one of his greatest achievements to date.

Steven started drumming at six, by the age of 14 he became one of the youngest drummers to play in Grade 1 when he competed with the Dysart and Dundonald Pipe Band.

On the solo scene, Steven’s achievements have been equally impressive, winning every solo contest available at Junior grade at least twice. In 2004 he played Djembe and snare drums with the Red Hot Chilli Pipers when they supported ‘Darkness’ on stage at T in the Park. He achieved all this without a drum of his own.

From Inverkeithing in Fife, Steven is coming to the end of his studies in piping at RSAMD, under the tutelage of world-class percussionist, Jim Kilpatrick, where Steven’s tutors predict a stellar career.

Snare drumming is Steven’s passion, although he is equally talented on Djembe, Bohdran and other percussion instruments.

How the Award Helped

A Dewar Arts Award helped Steven to buy a performance-standard snare drum to match his prodigious talent.

Since the Award

Steven graduated with a music degree in 2005 and was set to teach snare drumming. His band, Red Hot Chilli Pipers, won the “When will I be Famous?” competition hosted by Graham Norton and since then have begun to carve out a performing career.

They released the highly successful ‘Bagrock to the Masses’ CD in 2007, performed at New York’s Tartan Week in 2008 and at Ewan MacGregor’s annual Burns Supper in London two years running.

Biography

At age 11, Paul was inspired to learn to play music when he first went to the Folk Festival in Shetland, where he grew up. Concentrating on folk and Celtic music, he has become an accomplished percussionist and is now considered to be one of the top players in his genre.

Paul became a professional musician at the age of 18. Since then he has played with, amongst others, Old Blind Dogs, Fred Morrison, Maggie Macinnes and Stuart Cassells and has performed on over 25 albums.

His current band is the up-and-coming Croft No. Five, who in 2005 were invited to perform in Toronto at the First Minister’s reception during his State Visit to Canada.

How the Award Helped

In 2006 Paul and Fraser Stone, also a Dewar Arts Award winner, worked on a New Voices commission for Celtic Connections.

Since the Award

According to Paul, his old drum kit sounded ‘more like an old bucket each day’ and he needed a new kit to do this important commission justice and to record the Croft No. Five new album.

The Dewar Arts Award enabled Paul to buy a new drum kit.

Biography

Louis caught the eye of his percussion teacher at an early age at Beeslack School in Penicuik. She considered him to be the most naturally talented young percussionist she had ever taught.

Joint winner of the Colin O’Rairdon Memorial Competition in 2003, Louis gained a place in the RSAMD Junior School, later progressing to the RSAMD to study music.

Equally at home in playing orchestral, jazz and rock styles, and a gifted soloist on both marimba and drum kit, Louis is also a talented composer and regularly records his original works. He has a wonderful career in music ahead of him.

How the Award Helped

Louis received a Daughter of Dewar Award for a range of new percussion equipment.

Biography

Gillian caught the eye of international percussionists when she attended the Juilliard Summer Percussion Seminar, a festival for advanced high school percussionists.

She was one of only 16 pupils selected worldwide to attend the seminar. A graduate of St Mary’s Music School, Gillian’s consuming passion is the marimba.

As a young musician her achievements include winning the Director’s Recital prize at St Mary’s and winning joint first place in the inaugural percussion class at the 2004 Edinburgh Music Festival.

Gillian says that she chose to study at the Frost School of Music because it “has the broad percussion base I want to study and isn’t based purely on orchestral, but also has jazz, ethnic/world music and solo performance.”

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award is funding Gillian for four years at the Frost School of Music, Miami. She was put on the Dean’s list in Spring 2006.

Since the Award

Due to an unfortunate road accident, Gillian was forced to withdraw after three years’ study at Frost School of Music. We’re happy to note that this did not prevent Gillian from pursuing her career ambitions. She is now pursuing a solo career and in 2009 in Ireland premiered a work for solo marimba written for her by a Scottish composer.

Biography

If the gigs ever dry up, Fraser could develop a lucrative sideline in musical instrument making. Preparing to go on tour with Scottish Folk Band ‘Old Blind Dogs’, he stunned the band by arriving at the airport with a handmade Djembe drum he had designed and made for the trip.

From Grantown on Spey, Fraser started playing drums on a plastic drumkit when he was six. By the age of twelve he was regularly performing with bands.

By seventeen, he had developed into a gifted and well-respected musician, playing on a number of albums, being principal percussionist at a performance of Scottish Music in the Millennium Dome, London, and acting as musical director of a number of Highland festivals.

In 2006, Fraser and fellow percussionist, Paul Jennings, were commissioned to compose a New Voices piece to be performed at Celtic Connections. For this project, Fraser desperately needed a new marimba.

He wrote at the time, “I see this year as being one of great musical growth. I’m looking to branch out and experiment with new sounds in different genres to fulfil my potential.”

How the Award Helped

Fraser received a Daughter of Dewar Award to buy a performance-standard marimba.

Since the Award

Of the New Voices piece, Fraser writes that the project ‘gave me a chance to compose technical pieces for an eight piece band. It was a huge learning curve and I grew so much from this experience.’ He adds that the Dewar Awards ‘are a fantastic way to celebrate the Scottish talent out there and help promote our culture worldwide. Without these awards many musicians would not be able to fulfill their dreams and potential.’

We couldn’t agree more, Fraser!