Awarding talent: Awards for Young Musicians

On Sunday 17 November, Awards for Young Musicians (AYM) presented its new cohort of recipients with an opportunity to perform alongside the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group (BCMG) at its 12th annual Awards Day. Grants of up to £100,000 are given by AYM to exceptional young musicians from low income families to pay for musical tuition, instruments and travel. Award winners sat side by side with professional players and worked on three brand new commissions, written especially for the event.

More than 70 young people took part in the day with 60 of them receiving awards in front of a live audience of friends and families. The works performed were The Silent Forest by Shiori Usui, a piece about the impact of deforestation conducted by William Cole; Tension by Vito Žuraja, conducted by Michael Wendeberg; and Creative Ensemble, created from scratch on the day by BCMG musicians and AYM award recipients, led by Jackie Walduck.

For over 20 years, AYM has been providing support for musicians across all genres, helping families overcome financial and social obstacles, in addition to supporting teachers through training on how to identify and nurture young talent. The awards are part of an inclusive, means-tested programme that allows musicians to prove their eligibility without formal exams or qualifications.

Hester Cockcroft, AYM's chief executive, explains how this charity differs from other funding organisations. ‘Our awards programme is about so much more than money, crucial though this is. Every young musician's journey is unique, so we focus our support on meeting their individual needs, working with our partners across the UK to enable and create inspiring and challenging experiences.’

As part of the Awards Day celebrations, AYM teams up with a different orchestra or ensemble each year for a day of music-making. This year, the aim was to introduce award holders to the sounds and techniques of contemporary music. The artistic director of BCMG, Stephan Meier, claims performing with young musicians is unusual in contemporary music, adding: ‘We hope the day will encourage more young musicians to participate regularly in new music and make it part of their musical lives.’

Players from BCMG responded to the project with enthusiasm. Tony Howe (trombone) describes AYM as a ‘fantastically necessary organisation’, with flautist Tony Robb adding that it was ‘a delightful experience… inspiring and uplifting’. Melinda Maxwell (oboe) highlights the importance of bringing new works to new audiences and players: ‘The expression of our contemporary music and how it is communicated is key to keeping the music alive and relevant.’

A young musician's journey

Cellist Fernando, 13, was able to experiment with blowing balloons as part of his performance in The Silent Forest. He attended the ceremony with his dad, Adrian Lee. Fernando's parents are both musicians and recognised talent in their son as he began musical training at North London's Colourstrings, after which he received a music scholarship to Highgate School. Lee has since began losing his sight and is unable to work, meaning the family is now experiencing a period of depleted income. Once Fernando understood that in order to continue his cello lessons he would need to find funding, he led the quest to apply for an award. ‘We were able to do the application together – the form was clear enough for Fernando to fill out himself,’ says Lee.

The whole family attended the Awards Day. ‘The youngsters were able to learn about the process of commissioning, rehearsing and performing. It was valuable for them just to be present and to soak up the atmosphere, to see how ensembles work,’ Lee explains. The family have been provided with concert tickets as part of the award, and as a result have attended orchestral performances at the Barbican and Maida Vale Studios.

Mae Edwards is an AYM alumna who received a grant to buy a handmade violin when she was studying at the Purcell School. ‘Most other students had far better instruments so I was the odd one out,’ says Edwards, who was part of a Q&A panel at the Awards Day. Not only did the new instrument improve her sound, but her confidence too: ‘I was made to feel that I deserved to play a good instrument. It opened up a new world of possibilities.’ She went on to study at Birmingham Conservatoire and now teaches violin in Nottingham. Her advice to parents was to ‘be persistent’, as the applications for 2020 open in January.

Find out more at www.a-y-m.org.uk