Manchester Camerata have announced the names of the first five recipients of its inauguralCamerata 360° Ruth Sutton Fellowship.
Created with the generous support of The Ruth Sutton Trust for Music these five northern based fellows will each receive a paid, year long bespoke training programme – commencing now – in which they will gain vital experience of all aspects of a musical career within one of the UK’s most innovative, pioneering and versatile orchestras.
Georgina MacDonell Finlayson holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Edinburgh and in 2022 completed a Masters in Music at the Royal Northern College of Music. She is a versatile Scottish violinist, fiddle player, composer and community arts practitioner. On hearing the news of her Fellowship, she comments: “Manchester Camerata’s combination of community projects and innovative concert programming encompasses so much of what I aspire to as a musician. I can’t wait to learn from their inspiring musicians and team, to reach people from all walks of life and tell the stories that matter.”
Sean Morrison, also from Scotland, is a prize winning violin graduate from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, and currently in his second year of his Master’s studies at the RNCM. In addition to his classical talents he is also an accomplished traditional fiddle player. He says “I feel that this fellowship is at the forefront of the constantly shifting and changing industry of classical music. I am truly honoured to be a part of that progression.”
Brazil born Marcus Silva began learning the double bass at the age of 15 and moved to Manchester in 2018 to study at the RNCM where he graduated with First Class with Honours. Marcuscomments: “I am very pleased to be part of Manchester Camerata’s first cohort of 360° Ruth Sutton Fellows and am extremely grateful for this opportunity. Alongside the musical and artistic experiences my colleagues and I will have when joining the amazing professionals from Camerata in rehearsals, lessons, community work and concerts, I am very excited to learn more about arts management, finance and leadership as part of this Fellowship.”
Originally from Barnstaple in Devon, Ben Norris is now a Junior Fellow at the RNCM having previously studied at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. He is a very active chamber musician and most recently won the coveted Viola prize at the RNCM. He says : “I’m incredibly excited to be part of such a unique fellowship that offers so much room for development and discovery, in many aspects of the profession. I am particularly looking forward to working with a wonderful team, and bringing music to the community. It’s so important.”
Concluding the inaugural Camerata 360° Ruth Sutton Fellowship line up is James Weatherley-Buss – a British composer, multi-instrumentalist and experimental electronic artist living in Manchester. He has recently completed a postgraduate degree in composition at the Royal Northern College of Music. Open to both recent graduates of musical performance and composition, this year long fellowship will enable James to develop both of his areas of expertise and interest. He says: “I’m in exactly the right place to learn more about music as a community activity, which is something I’m really looking forward to. I love the Camerata’s progressive approach to concert programming and it’ll be great to help bring these exceptional evenings of music to life, supporting and learning from its outstanding musicians.”
The Camerata 360° Ruth Sutton Fellowship was launched specifically to support newly graduated northern based musicians and composers at the very start of their musical careers. With this specific aim, Manchester Camerata will nurture and support these musicians to sustain a musical career in the north and subsequently join its talented pool of freelance performers and practitioners. Each of these five Fellows demonstrated considerable talent and passion for working across all areas of orchestral life and genres of music as well as an artistic curiosity.
Each Fellow will now spend the next 12 months fully immersed in the working life of Manchester Camerata – from vital performance opportunities, community work engagement with schools, care home and music cafes, to marketing, finance, management, and leadership experience. They will each work closely with a Manchester Camerata musician who will act as both mentor and guide throughout their year. This will help to up-skill and develop their individual talents and also arm them with a greater understanding of the music world, the workings of an orchestra including and beyond performance, an ability to contribute to different styles of music and make more established personal connections with working musicians.
Fellows will also have the opportunity to be involved in the Orchestra’s Think Tank events and gain exclusive insight into research and development work with Manchester University with whom the Camerata work closely to continue its internationally acclaimed work in the field of music and dementia. As a world renowned orchestra and organisation – Manchester Camerata places equal importance on performing as it does on its community outreach programmes. It is therefore uniquely placed to be able to show these five newly graduating musicians just how broad a musical career can be and how music – whether through community engagement or musical performance – can fully enhance lives and deliver positive change.
Jane Farnworth, daughter of Ruth Sutton, on behalf of the family comments: “The Ruth Sutton Trust for Music are delighted and very proud to welcome our first year of fellows to the Manchester Camerata 360 programme. The number and quality of all the applicants showcases and highlights the musical skill and dedication we have here in the North of England. The five fellows are not only exceptional musicians; they have been chosen for their versatility, communication skills and their passion for creativity. My late Mother, Ruth Sutton, was very dedicated to helping young musicians and took a keen interest in their personal development. She would be exceptionally proud to be able to provide this wonderful opportunity that will give our five fellows a balanced and grounded start to their exciting future ahead.”
