LCoM Alumni Wins Emerging Excellence Award

Pianist Sam Watts, a graduate of Leeds College of Music, has been announced as a recipient of an Emerging Excellence Award from Help Musicians UK.

Sam, who moved to London to study a Masters at Royal Academy of Music after graduating from LCoM, is one of two jazz musicians to receive the award this year. He will use the funding to help produce his debut album in the coming months.

The Emerging Excellence Awards are run by Help Musicians UK and help musicians under 30 who have already achieved recognition in their field to fund a project that will further their career.

Sam joins saxophonist James Mainwaring and trumpeter Kim Macari as LCoM graduates to have received the Award in recent years.

Find out more about Sam by visiting his website.

North well represented in Emerging Excellence Awards

  

Saxophonist James Mainwaring, trumpeter Kim Macari and pianist John Escreet have been announced as recipients of Musicians Benevolent Fund's Emerging Excellence Awards. Twenty-five top young musicians from all genres of music received awards, with all 3 jazz musicians hailing from The North.

MBF (soon be rebranded as Help Musicians UK) describe the scheme as

supporting emerging artists who demonstrate musical excellence and are already achieving significant impact in their field to fund an important development opportunity, project or programme that has lasting impact on their career.

Saxophonist James Mainwaring plans to use his Award to enable him to host a creative residency for his quartet, while Kim will travel to New York to study with Ingrid Jensen, record original material at an NYC studio and start work on setting up US/UK gig exchanges through Apollo Jazz Network.

For full details of the Awards, see the Musicians Benevolent Fund Press Release.