Biography

Hugh Mackay is a Scottish cellist whose musical life comprises many different areas of performance including chamber music, orchestral playing and historically-informed performance. He has played in leadings festivals including The BBC Proms, Enescu Festival (Bucharest) and Festival Berlioz (France), and venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and The Palace of Versailles.

Hugh received his formative education at St. Mary’s Music School (Edinburgh), where he studied with Ruth Beauchamp, Philip Higham and William Conway. In 2017, he gained a place to study with Hannah Roberts and Jonathan Manson at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he was awarded the Yadegar-Hall Scholarship.

In 2019, Hugh was selected for the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment’s Experience Scheme, working with the orchestra throughout 2019 including concerts at the Enescu Festival in Bucharest. He has worked with many leading conductors such as Trevor Pinnock, Thomas Adès, Edward Gardner, John Wilson, Masaako Suzuki, Nicholas Collon, and Ryan Wigglesworth, and enjoys a variety of freelance engagements, such as playing as an inaugural member of the London Contemporary Music Festival Orchestra on BBC Radio 3 in December 2018.

Hugh was the co-principal cellist of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, exposing him to the leading British venues as well as recording works by Strauss and Holst for Chandos Records. In 2017 he played at the Festival Berlioz in La Côte-Saint-André, France with the NYO, playing Stravinsky’s ‘The Rite of Spring’ under the direction of Gerry Cornelius.

Hugh has performed chamber works at Kinnordy Chamber Music Festival, Petworth Festival, Brighton Early Music Festival, Hatfield Festival and Virtuoso & Belcanto Festival (Lucca) and also the Hatworth Festival.

How the Award Helped

Hugh’s Award supported him in his studies at the Royal Academy of Music, London.

Since the Award

2019: 1st Prizewinner of the 2019 Isaacs Pirani Piano Trio Competition (RAM)  alongside colleagues Manuel De Almeida-Ferrer and Wouter Valvekens.

2020: 1st Prizewinner of the 2020 May Mukle Cello Sonata Prize (Royal Academy of Music) alongside duo partner, Junyan Chen

Biography

Hailing from Dumfries, Hugo began playing cello aged 11. At 14, he successfully auditioned to Chetham’s School of Music, where he studied with Nicholas Jones.

Hugo went on to study with Thomas Carroll at the Royal College of Music, and at the Hochschule fur Musik und Tanz in Cologne, with Thomas Carroll. His studies have been supported by the Dewar Arts Awards and by the Holywood Trust.

Hugo has taken part in masterclasses with Karine Georgian, Guy Johnson, Robert Cohen, and Francis Gouten. He has performed with Chetham’s Symphony Orchestra at venues such as the Royal Festival Hall, Bridgewater Hall, Milton Court, and Dukes Hall. He has performed many solo concerts as well as with his quartet, who won the Dewhust Torevell competition.

Hugo’s ambitions are to study a masters degree in Germany, and then perform as a soloist and chamber musician in and around Europe.

How the Award Helped

Biography

Findlay began to learn the ’cello at the age of eight, first with Isobel Grant in his hometown of Fortrose on the Black Isle, before starting lessons with Ruth Beauchamp in Edinburgh. In 2013, Findlay gained a place at St. Mary’s Music School and, in 2016, he began his studies with Melissa Phelps at the Royal College of Music in London.

As well as performing with youth orchestras and ensembles around the country (he was principal cello of the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland, performing at the BBC Proms), Findlay has also had involvement with varied community music projects and has enjoyed working with Sistema Scotland, Fèis Rois, and Cromarty Youth Opera amongst others.

Findlay is a keen composer, having studied with Tom David Wilson and Simon Holt. In 2016, he attained places at five conservatoires in Britain and secured the position of Music Scholar and Composer in Residence at St. Paul’s Church, Knightsbridge.

Findlay writes:

“For as long as I can remember, listening to and making music has been centrally important for me. It is hard to imagine a life without this and I am certain that it would seem a very poor substitute. Knowing for myself (and observing in others) the power of music to influence and inspire, it is my life’s ambition and purpose to bring that to other people. As a musician, my personal goal is to become the best and most accomplished that I can. As a cellist, and as a composer, I aspire to make music of the very highest standard.”

How the Award Helped

Biography

Glaswegian cellist Donald Robinson is one of Scotland’s most gifted young musicians.  His extraordinary talent and and unique creativity extends to both his playing and his composition.

Donald studied at the Douglas Music Academy and has won prizes in the Glasgow Music Festival for solo, chamber and orchestral work.  As the Principal Cello in the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland, he took part in projects with NYOS Futures and NYOS Camerata as well as collaborations with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra at the Proms.

In 2013, Donald made his concerto debut at the Perth Concert Hall playing the Saint-Saens Piano Concerto with the NYOS Juniors. He has also performed as part of the Sphere Concert Series in Glasgow with pianist Julia Lynch (see below).

Donald is tipped to become one of his generation’s most important musical ambassadors.

How the Award Helped

Biography

From Larbert, in Stirlingshire, Laura is currently studying ‘cello at the RSAMD, Glasgow. She is a member of the Nova String Quartet which was formed in 2006 by a group of students at the RSAMD. Laura previously attended the RSAMD Junior Academy where she showed outstanding potential as a ‘cellist and was awarded a scholarship.

Laura is a member of the NYOS, where she leads the ‘cello section, and has played with the prestigious Camerata Scotland. She won the Forth Valley arts festival in 2005 and last year won the Rotary International Young Musician award for Central Scotland.

In 2007 she toured Scotland in an apprenticeship scheme with the Scottish Ensemble and Raphael Wallfisch. In 2008 she attends the Singapore National Youth Orchestra Chamber Music Festival.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award will contribute towards the purchase of a professional standard ‘cello which Laura needs to support her career as a musician.

Since the Award

Biography

Perth born and bred, Rachel began learning the ‘cello on an instrument which belonged to her grandfather. She was a student on the Junior RSAMD programme, studying both ‘cello and clarinet, where she received a number of scholarships, including the Wolfson and the Musicians’ Benevolent.

Rachel attends Perth Academy and is principal ‘cellist in both the Academy and the Perth Youth Orchestras. She also sings with the Fair City Singers and was their instrumental soloist in their summer tour around Italy. She is also a probationer with the renowned local choir, Chansons.

Rachel’s musicianship has developed in the last few years and her Junior RSAMD tutors consider her to be a young musician of enormous potential. Now that she is about to audition to study at a conservatoire, her family had to make the decision to sell the family ‘cello in order to buy a better standard of instrument for Rachel’s professional career.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award will help to purchase a new good-quality ‘cello.

Since the Award

Biography

Glasgow-born Robert Anderson was one of the first members of the National Children’s Orchestra of Scotland, going on to play with NYOS. Starting first at the RSAMD Junior Department, Robert was awarded the Stevenson Scholarship by RSAMD to continue his studies there as an undergraduate.

Whilst an undergraduate, Robert won numerous prizes for solo playing, chamber music and academic work. He was invited to perform with world-class chamber musicians such as Levon Chilingirian and Alasdair Tait at the Mendelssohn on Mull Festival and subsequently in London, and he was invited by the section principal to freelance with the RSNO. Robert founded and performed widely with the Alba String Quartet, of which it has been said, “Scotland is indeed fortunate to have a young Quartet of this calibre which is prepared to work tirelessly for the advancement of chamber music on all levels.”

Robert graduated with a first-class degree in 2007. He has been invited by “one of the greatest living Scottish musicians, the internationally-renowned ‘cellist Alexander Baillie” to study with him for an MA in Music Performance in Bremen. He is seen as a young ‘cellist with enormous potential and studying in Germany is likely to be enriching both culturally and musically.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award will help towards Robert’s fees and living expenses at the Bremen Conservatoire.

Since the Award

Robert writes that his first year at Bremen, studying with Professor Baillie, was ‘a life-changing experience’ and that ‘the way I play the ‘cello has undergone a transformation’. Following auditions, Robert received the Caird Foundation’s Bloch Prize for outstanding string player. He also won places in the Baltic Youth Philharmonic and the Netherlands Orchestra Academy and toured with the Vienna Tonkunstler Orchestra in 2009.

Robert’s plans took an exciting turn when he decided not to take up the second year funding to continue his studies with Professor Baillie, but instead accepted an offer from the International Menuhin Music Academy in Bern, Switzerland.

Biography

When Glasgow-born Louise started learning the ‘cello as a child of six, she little imagined then that it would become her career. But, as she says, thanks to great teachers and a lot of hard work she has seen the diversity of life in the music profession. She has performed across four continents to audiences in all kinds of venues ranging from bars, clubs and living rooms (with pets roaming free) through to the world’s finest concert halls.

At the age of 11, Louise won a place at the Douglas Academy Music School, where she was the fastest advancing student her ‘cello teacher had taught. She went on to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London, graduating with a first-class honours and receiving the Dip RAM for outstanding final recital. In 2001, Louise won the Allie Cullen Memorial Award for best performance overall at the Glasgow Music Festival.

Louise was accepted onto the postgraduate course in performance at the music academy in Basel, Switzerland. Entry onto this course is highly competitive, and only three ‘cellists were accepted. She is considered a rare talent who has the ability to reach the top of her profession.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award will provide essential finance to help Louise pursue postgraduate studies in Basel.

Since the Award

Louise graduated with a Konzertdiplom with distinction. She writes that in addition to studying with cellist, Thomas Demenga, she was also able to “take baroque cello lessons with Petr Skalka, quartet lessons with renowned quartet players Rainer Schmitt and Walter Levin, improvisation lessons with Walter Fendrich and modern chamber music lessons with Marcus Weiss.” She formed the modern music cello trio “Trio Riot”, with whom she continues to perform, and reached the semi finals of the international cello competition, Gianni Bergamo Classic Music Award.

Louise now lives and works in London. She is a member of the contemporary music group, Ensemble Amorpha, and is recording an album with the jazz ensemble, Tangent.

Biography

Galway-born Naomi was taught both classical and folk music from an early age and had her first cello lesson at the age of seven. Now based in Glenrothes, Naomi first studied music at Glasgow University before going on to the RSAMD to major in cello performance with Robert Irvine.

Currently studying cello performance in Italy, Naomi excels in many musical genres and is equally talented at classical, jazz and folk. In Italy she has been taught by Francesco Dillon and Enrico Bronzi and taken masterclasses from Rostropovich. Her talent and eclectic musical knowledge greatly impressed all these tutors.

Naomi performs with the Italian Contemporary Music Ensemble ‘Musicamorfosi’ as cellist and vocalist, and she has worked as jazz cellist with Italian jazz trumpeter Giovanni Falzone. She has performed in a cello-guitar duo with noted Scottish classical guitarist, Neil Wilson, at many festivals, including the Edinburgh International Fringe.

Naomi was invited to participate in a 3-week jazz and experimental music course in Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada. She is one of 14 musicians from Europe, together with musicians from America, Canada, New Zealand and Australia who have been specially selected for this prestigious course.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Awards provided the funding to enable Naomi to attend the Banff Centre for the Arts course in jazz and experimental music.

Since the Award

Biography

Korean-born Raim Koo moved to Scotland when he was 4 years old. He started having cello lessons whilst still at primary school and won a place at St Mary’s Music School in Edinburgh in 2000.

Raim impressed his current cello teacher as being one of the few truly gifted young musicians she has taught. He combines a great natural facility, a love of music and an instinctive feeling for style, which is unusual in someone so young.

Between 2003 and 2006 Raim was a member of the National Children’s Orchestra of Scotland and in 2004 travelled to China with the String Ensemble of NCOS to represent Scotland at the Tianjiu International Children’s Culture and Arts Festival.

He continued to be a member of the String Ensemble in 2005 and 2006 and in the same years successfully auditioned for the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland. In 2007 he represents St Mary’s Music School in masterclasses at the triennial International Cello Festival in Manchester.

How the Award Helped