Liverpool Philharmonic Announces Emerging Musician Scholarships 2024/25 – Birkenhead News

The Liverpool Philharmonic has announced the appointment of four musicians to the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra’s third annual Emerging Musician Fellowship.

The Emerging Musicians Fellowship offers early-career musicians a paid and engaging professional orchestral experience, both on and off stage, over the course of a year.

They have the opportunity to learn from professional musicians about orchestral life and gain experience in an orchestral setting to help support them in their careers. The Fellowship has no upper age limit and approximately 300 musicians apply each year.

This year Liverpool Philharmonic was delighted to welcome Matthew Brett to the Orchestra as Section Leader Percussion. Matthew was part of the first cohort of the Emerging Musicians Fellowship in 2022/23.

The four musicians named as Fellowship Musicians for the 2024/25 season are:

• Emily Douglas (French horn)
• Emily Ambrose (bassoon)
• Imogen Timmins (trumpet)
• Daniel Lewis (violin)

About Fellowship Musicians

Emily Douglas is a horn player originally from Middlesbrough. They will graduate in December 2024 with a Masters degree from the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), where they also completed a First Class Honors BA. Emily has completed work experience programs with The Halle (2021/22 ) and the BBC Philharmonic (2022/23) and has since continued to work independently with a number of North West orchestras, including Opera North. Emily is looking forward to the coming year and is excited about all that the scheme has to offer.

Emily Ambrose is a bassoonist from Newbury, Berkshire. She is a Leverhulme Arts Scholar at the Royal College of Music, where she is currently completing her second year of undergraduate studies with Emily Hultmark and Joost Bosdijk. Since moving to London, Emily has enjoyed taking advantage of the many musical opportunities available both in and out of college. Emily is delighted to have been given this opportunity and looks forward to learning from musicians, engaging in educational projects, developing her music and gaining knowledge and understanding of how to build a successful career.

Imogen Timmins is a trumpet player from Cornwall. She recently completed her Bachelor of Music course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, studying with Paul Beniston, Anne McAneney and Will O’Sullivan. Introduced to brass playing by St Keverne Brass Band, Imogen developed a strong interest in orchestral performance through the Cornwall Youth Orchestra. Throughout her BA, Imogen had numerous orchestral opportunities at the Barbican Concert Hall, and studied baroque trumpet at the Guildhall under David Blackadder. Imogen has recently developed her solo playing, most notably playing in the final of this year’s annual Guildhall brass competition, the Armourers and Brasiers Prize. Imogen will soon start her Master of Performance degree at the Royal College of Music after being awarded a scholarship by the Conservatoire. Her studies will also be supported by the Help Musicians UK Postgraduate Award and The Lord Lieutenant’s Fund Award. Imogen is looking forward to this year’s scheme with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

Daniel Lewis from Watford was born into a family of musicians and was immersed in classical music from an early age. He studied violin with Lorraine McAslan for nine years at the Junior Royal Academy of Music and gained extensive experience as a teenager conducting high-standard youth orchestras including Hertfordshire County Youth Orchestra and Watford School of Music Youth Orchestra. As a chamber music player, he trained with eminent musicians, including members of the Carducci Quartet. Daniel is delighted to have been given this opportunity by the Liverpool Philharmonic. The scheme provides a perfect gateway to gain experience playing in a professional orchestra, which he finds particularly valuable given his career change. He is looking forward to his time at Liverpool

Sameeta Gahir, Principal Piccolo, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Principal Musician for the Emerging Musicians Fellowship, said: “I am delighted to welcome the third group of musicians into the Emerging Musicians Fellowship. Each year we are overwhelmed by the sheer number of exceptional applications we receive from talented musicians across the country.

“The level of skill and dedication displayed by all the applicants was truly outstanding and we express our sincere gratitude to each and every one of them for their commitment and effort in coming forward. It is with great excitement that we announce the newest Fellowship Musicians. Their exceptional musical skills and unique talents stood out among the many exceptional candidates and we are delighted to have them on board for this upcoming season.”

Matthew Brett, Head of Percussion, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Emerging Musicians Fellowship Alumni said: “I am so excited to be joining the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra as Section Leader Percussion. It is an absolute honor to be part of an organization with such an amazing musical history and one that has directly contributed to my musical development as an Emerging Musicians Fellow with the orchestra in 2022-2023. I am very excited to embark on a career in this wonderful city and feel privileged to play alongside such talented musicians.”

About Fellowship

The Emerging Musicians Fellowship program aims to support a diverse range of outstanding orchestral musicians at the start of their careers. The program started in Autumn 2021 and we will be accepting applications for the Year 4 Cohort in the 2024/25 season.

The Emerging Musicians Fellowship program aims to help address some of the significant challenges facing early career orchestral musicians. The program removes barriers to employment and empowers individuals to realize their full artistic talent and potential.

Each year the Liverpool Philharmonic welcomes a cohort of Fellowship musicians on a year-long placement. We match each Fellowship musician with a mentor and provide them with instrument lessons from members of the Orchestra. These placements are an exciting, paid opportunity. Each Fellowship musician is involved in every aspect of professional orchestral life, including rehearsals, performances with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, work with our youth company and involvement in our pioneering learning programs through In Harmony Liverpool and our music and health programmes.

Credit for all images: Gareth Jones

Why not follow birkenhead.news on facebook, Twitter, and nature? You can also send story ideas or letters to the editor to [email protected]