Biography

Originally from Ayr, Joshua started playing brass instruments in the Salvation Army through their learner program at the age of four. When he started high school, his grandfather gave him and old trombone out of his loft and then started teaching himself how to play it.

Towards the end of high school, he took part in the Ayrshire music festival where he won the Open Brass Category and then went on to win the Overall Best Instrumentalist. This was where he won The Elizabeth McNair Trophy, James M Clark Prize for Instrumental Music and The John R Chalmers Trophy. After spending two years at the Junior Conservatoire getting taught by Alastair Sinclair he started studying full time at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2019 where he is taught by Lance Green on a scholarship place. Currently Joshua enjoys plays with Dalmellington brass band.

Joshua’s ambitions as a trombone player are to graduate the Royal Conservatoire and work as a freelancer in Glasgow. He has a passion for teaching and community outreach through music which he discovered while volunteering to give music lessons at the same learner’s program where he learned how to play.

How the Award Helped

Biography

Originally from Raploch, Stirling, Symone started playing trombone at the age of 10 with the programme ‘Big Noise Raploch’ in 2011. Big Noise is part of the larger charity, Sistema Scotland, who works with challenged communities throughout Scotland to give children opportunities they wouldn’t gotten the chance to have.

In 2015, Symone gained a place at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Junior Department where she studied with Nigel Cox and gained additional musical experience as part of the Symphony Orchestra, Wind Orchestra and Brass Ensembles. She also performed as part of the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland, National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Scotland, and the Clackmannan District Brass Band as Solo Trombonist.

Symone has a great passion for performing as well as teaching younger musicians. She wants to ‘give back’ to others, believing that all young people should have the chance to learn a musical instrument and gain the life skills that come along with it.

In 2019, Symone gained a place at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland under the tutelage of Lance Green. This enabled her to develop her technique on the trombone as well as alto trombone as her second study. Symone’s future ambitions are to graduate from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and teach at an organisation like Big Noise while also working freelance.

How the Award Helped

Biography

Adam is a highly talented and hard working young trombonist.

Growing up in Aberdeen, Adam learned to play the trombone through the council’s music education scheme and spent several years playing with bands and ensembles.  In 2011 he moved to Edinburgh to study at St Mary’s Music School, where he proved himself to be a prodigious talent.  His aptitude for intonation, rhythmic integrity and tonal blend ensured he stood out as a performer. Excellent as a soloist and within an ensemble, Adam undertook a number of engagements outside of school where he was already able to fit into a professional section.

Alongside his trombone studies at St Mary’s, Adam also passed his grade 8 piano.  He won the brass section of the Aberdeen Music Festival in 2013 and was a finalist in the St Mary’s School Director’s Recital Prize in 2014.  Highly motivated, Adam enjoys performing a wide variety of music and aspires to become a professional trombonist.

In 2014, Adam gained a place to study at the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.  This had been a dream of his since he had first visited the school aged 12.  The BMus Classical Trombone course offered the perfect opportunity to advance his skills to the next level, and to help him to achieve his ambitions.

How the Award Helped

Biography

Edinburgh-born Patrick comes from a musical family, both his parents are musicians, and at an early age he showed himself also to be an exceptionally talented musician.

In 2007 Patrick won a Dewar Arts Award to attend the Beijing International Trombone Festival. Of his experiences there, he writes, “I had an unforgettable and extremely valuable experience and I cannot thank [the trustees] enough for their generous support, without which this incredible learning experience would have been completely impossible for me.”  Following the festival, Patrick had classes with Niels Ole-Bo Johansen at the Royal Danish Conservatoire and Pete Madson at the University of Nebraska, USA.

Patrick spent a gap year playing music and travelling the world. He went to India with the Ronak Baja Indian Fusion Band, to Toronto with the Tommy Smith Youth Jazz Orchestra and to Europe with the Carnyx Youth Brass to play at the Philharmonie Essen in Germany where his brass quintet was broadcast on German radio. He has been a member of the European Youth Jazz Orchestra, Edinburgh Youth Orchestra, Grand Union Orchestra, among many others. He has played in venues such as the Royal Festival Hall, Barbican and Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, the Usher Hall in Edinburgh and the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.

In January 2009 Patrick was featured both as soloist and composer on the BBC Radio 3’s Jazz Line-Up with his composition ‘Turbulent Times’. Patrick is now studying classical and jazz music at the Guildhall School of Music.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award is helping Patrick with the costs of studying in London at the Guildhall School of Music.

Since the Award

After a successful year, of which the highlights include being selected as a member of the London Sinfonietta Academy 2010 and reaching the semi finals of the BBC Young Brass Soloist 2010, Patrick’s funding has been continued for a further year.

After a further successful year at the Guildhall School of Music, the trustees were pleased to extend their support of Patrick into his final year.

Biography

From West Lothian, Arlene began playing the trombone at 11 and hasn’t looked back since. She joined a local brass band and in 1996 joined the brass department of the Junior RSAMD.  She was a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland for four years.

Arlene went on to study music at the RSAMD, Glasgow.  She graduated with a first, passed the Postgraduate Diploma in Performance with distinction and continued on to study for a Masters Degree in Performance, which she also gained with distinction.

Arlene has distinguished herself further by winning several prestigious competitions. As part of a brass quintet, she won the Mary D Adams Chamber Music Prize in 2003 and an MBF Ensemble Award in 2005. As a soloist, her prizes and awards include the 2003 Governor’s Recital Prize for Brass, the Robert Crief Memorial Prize for Brass and the prestigious Charles Leggett Award in 2004, which is competed for annually by the best brass players from all the UK conservatoires.

Arlene has worked with most of the leading Scottish orchestras and has appeared as a soloist on several occasions.  She is a founding member of Thistle Brass which is fast making a name for itself as one of Scotland’s most exciting and innovative young chamber ensembles.

Arlene achieved all of this playing the trombone her parents bought her when she was 12. For further information, see www.thistlebrass.com.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award bought Arlene a performance quality trombone.

Since the Award