Incredible Musicians awarded our Alumni Music Scholarships

We are incredibly proud to announce the diverse recipients of this year’s Alumni Music Scholarships, as we continue to support emerging musicians in Leicester and across the globe.

Due to the University of Leicester’s long-established relationship with the renowned Philharmonia Orchestra, we are able to offer music scholarships to talented students every year with each musician receiving support and connections to build their ongoing careers.

Since 2010 the scholarship has been open to students from around the world that play orchestral instruments or sing, who are currently completing their first year of any undergraduate or postgraduate degree at the University of Leicester.

Although we ask for the musicians to be at Grade 6 or above, we understand that not everybody has access to formal education within the arts, meaning we also regularly consider applications from highly competent musicians who have not followed a traditional grade pathway.

As part of the scholarship, the recipients are awarded either £500 or £250 to provide lessons that build upon their skills over the next year. At the Attenborough Arts Centre, we match up musicians with local teachers, with one-on-one lessons provided by the Philharmonia at De Montfort Hall or in concert halls in London. The participant is expected to be active in the musical culture at the university through societies, concerts, performances, and more.

This year eight musicians were awarded the scholarship, hailing from places such as India, Pakistan, China, Birmingham, London, and Leicester itself. Congratulations to:

Rebecca Hughes – Voice

Annie Nair – Voice,

David Warren – Voice

Mimi Bird – Viola

Gracie Molloy – Voice

Ella Smith – Voice

Saloni Shastri – Voice

Avinaba Majumdar – Voice

Zydrune Jasiunate – Voice

Ali M Murad – Voice

Ed Cozens – Electric Guitar

Jeremy Chua

The recipients were chosen based off of their standard of performance, their commitment to practice and training, enthusiasm for the musical culture within the city and the University, and their ability to be an ambassador for music at Attenborough Arts Centre. The audition panel was chaired by Head of Music Paul Jenkins, Philharmonia Orchestra Violinist Paula Clifton-Everest, Music Tutor Paula Bailey, and Philharmonia Orchestra Audience Development Manager Tom Spurgin.

We are so excited to see these musicians’ talents grow as we support them in this upcoming year. To learn more about our music scholarships, check out our page for upcoming events and auditions.