Recipients of RCS’s annual Make It Happen Fund announced

Harriet Clifford
Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Eleven graduate-led projects have been awarded £1,000 each to boost their potential for success in the post-Covid creative industries.

The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) has announced the recipients of its 2021 Make It Happen Fund, this year going to graduates from 2018-2020 to support the initial stages of their professional careers.

Awarded to a combination of music and drama graduates, the fund will help support projects ranging from short films, theatre companies and podcasts, to bands, recordings and online live concerts.

Professor Jeffrey Sharkey, principal of the RCS, said: ‘It’s wonderful that so many projects will take flight with support from the Make It Happen Fund and we wish this year’s recipients all the very best as they move forward in their careers.

‘It has been a difficult year for the arts but it’s uplifting to see the creative energy and innovative projects of our graduates whose artistry never fails to inspire.’

Having graduated with a Master of Music from the RCS opera school in 2018, mezzo-soprano Joanna Harries is also co-founder of SongPath, which brings music and walking together for mental health. She will use the award to create a new podcast connecting music and landscape through folk song.

Harries said: ‘Like many this past year, I’ve found my daily exercise outside a lifeline and it’s given me a renewed fascination with the landscapes, history, people and stories surrounding us. I’m passionate about bringing music to new and different spaces. Make It Happen will bring this podcast to life by funding equipment, training and development time.’

The 2021 recipients in full are:

Patrick Shand (BMus Composition, 2018)
Brief Palava: James Burke, Anna Carley, Kelly Davie, Derek Jeck, Heather Knudtsen and Tomaž Krajnc (all MA Classical and Contemporary Text, 2018)
Hannah Hunter (BA Filmmaking, 2020)
Minnie Crook (BA Hons Contemporary Performance Practice, 2020)
Moilidh NicGriogair (BMus Performance, 2020)
Charneh Watson (BA Hons Contemporary Performance Practice, 2018)
Danny Main (BA Production Arts and Design, 2018)
Fraser Scott (BA Filmmaking, 2020)
Joanna Harries (MMus Opera, 2018)
Callum Douglas (BA Acting, 2018)
Mairi McGillivray (BMus Traditional Music, 2020)

For the first time, this year the Make It Happen Fund was also funded by an external donor.

Find out more here.