Winners of the 2008 RSAMD Governor's Chamber Music Prize, Flutes en Route is a dynamic professional flute quartet formed in 2007 by students at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. They have quickly become a prominent ensemble within the Scottish chamber music scene and have given recitals all over the UK including a performance for Prince Charles!

Flutes en Route are committed to expanding the repertoire for this unusual combination of instruments and have already premiered two new works since 2008.

Each member of Flutes en Route works regularly as orchestral and chamber musicians, soloists and teachers and has worked with groups as diverse as the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestra of Scottish Opera, Northern Sinfonia and the pop group "McFly".

In terms of solo work, we have all given numerous recital and concerto performances, and members of the ensemble have won prizes in such competitions as the Royal Overseas League, the Performing Australian Music Competition, Novgorod Russian National Competition and the Jellinek Concerto Competition.

Education work and teaching forms an important part of what we do, both as individuals and as an ensemble. Individual members of the group are trained practitioners of the Kodály method which is invaluable for this type of work. As individuals, we also have experience working with other highly acclaimed outreach and education projects, such as the Philharmonia’s ‘Elastic Band’, the BBCSSO Merchant Sinfonia scheme, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s Wind Farm and with NYCOS, to name but a few.

In 2007 Flutes en Route were delighted to be accepted onto the "Live Music Now Scheme" which was founded by violinist Yehudi Menuhin. In collaboration with Live Music Now, Flutes en Route recently received funding for a project with nursery children from across Scotland.

Gags Beasley (country/traditional):
Sprouting from a common love of music and Muppets, the Gags Beasley trio were founded in 2004 by Áine Flynn, Lorna McLaughlan and Rohan Armstrong. Using piano, double bass, guitar, drums, tin whistle, accordion, melodica and voices, the group play a mixture of their own lively and lovely, quirky compositions as well as popular, familiar and ethnic pieces. The trio have performed throughout Ulster playing in several venues including The Limelight, Bang new music festival 2004, the Glasgowbury festival 2005, the Carnstock festival 2005 and have performed and facilitated workshops with children, people with special needs and older adults.
All three have studied music, performance and music technology to varying levels. Áine and Lorna were both awarded BA's in music and ethnomusicology in 1997 from Queens University Belfast. Rohan and Lorna received a HND in applied music from the North Down and Ards Institute of Further and Higher education in 2005. Áine is also a UK state registered music therapist having completed an MA in music therapy in 2000 in the University of Limerick.

GARY INNES – ACCORDION

Gary started to playing the accordion at age 8, following encouragement from his father. His first instrument was a small Bailey accordion with only 8 bass notes. Following regular weekly lessons from a local teacher in Spean Bridge, he was taught by a number of different tutors. Gary left school age 17 to work as a trainee manager in an electrical shop, but after realizing that this was not for him, left less than a year later to study towards an HNC in music at college in Thurso.

A year back home working in the family haulage business was followed by a move to Glasgow to pursue a career in music. At first, this was combined with work as a labourer, but, after just over a year, increasing music engagements built up to allow Gary to leave full-time employment and play music for a living.

In the past two years Gary has been fortunate enough to have received invitations to Russia and China for early 2005 and played live on BBC1’s Hogmanay show to bring in the new year.

His first album – How’s the Crack – will be released in February 2005 and the year continues with solo playing, rehearsing and performing with some of the best musicians in the country and teaching. In November 2003, Gary auditioned successfully for Yehudi Menuhin’s Live Music Now! scheme which supports young professional musicians at the start of their careers while simultaneously taking high quality live music to people throughout our communities.

January 2005

Gary is from the wonderful village of Spean Bridge up in the Highlands of Scotland and has been playing music professionally for three and a half years. He has been based in Glasgow for most of this time but tours the world with his mischievous smile and purple accordion. The last couple of years have provided Gary with many opportunities and successes including some amazing trips abroad and various television appearances. Gary was in the final 4 of Scotland's Best Up and Coming Musicians at last years Traditional Music Awards in Edinburgh and just a week later came runner up in BBC Radio Nan Gaidheal's Sportsman of the Year Award as a result of his Shinty successes. This year started off very strongly again with a Masters and Apprentice concert at Celtic Connections with Donald Shaw (Capercaillie) before flying off to China a day later to play for the British Chambers of Commerce. Home for one day, he then flew onto Atyrau, Kazakhstan to play for a function which raised $60,000 for a local orphanage. Gary and others involved in the project then went to the orphanage to see the children and to see the difference that past money had made. Gary is involved with 2 bands full time. One of which is The Darien Project who together have been growing from strength to strength and who have this year been involved in festivals in both Italy and France as well as gigs in their home country. The other band is Box Club which is part comprised of 4 of Scotland's top young box players who have just recently finished their critically acclaimed debut tour. Gary looks forward to touring with both bands in the near and far future.

Guitarist and singer Ewan Robertson hails from Carrbridge in Strathspey. He was introduced to traditional music at an early age, attending ceilidhs in the village hall and listening to Capercaillie tapes in the back of his mum’s Volkswagen Beetle! He began learning fiddle and chanter at the age of seven, studying both at school and privately, and through the local Fèis movement which provided him with the opportunity to perform with other young musicians and learn from those who inspired him.
Ewan was accepted into the National Centre of Excellence for Traditional Music in Scotland in 2000 where he studied fiddle and pipes. A shortage of accompanists at the school, however, led Ewan experimenting with the guitar, an instrument he continued to play whilst he was enrolled for a degree in Outdoor Education in Glasgow. Here he used the vibrant session scene to develop a very driving style of guitar accompaniment. Ewan graduated with First Class Honours in 2005 and helped to form the band Breabach, who won a Danny Award at Celtic Connections in 2005, and were nominated for Scottish Folk Band of the Year at the 2007 Scots Trad Music Awards. More recently Ewan became the first singer / guitarist to win the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year Award. When not on the road playing music, Ewan works as a part time fire fighter in Carrbridge.

Considered one of the most exciting and innovative duos in London, the Glendower Duo breathes new life into classical repertoire and enjoys presenting exciting contemporary works to modern audiences. (see individual biographies below)

Their recent debut at the Purcell Room as part of the Park Lane Group Young Artist’s Concert Series received a four-star rating in The Times. The duo’s commitment to contemporary music has led them to work with some of Britain’s most renowned composers: Julian Anderson, Paul Patterson, Hugh Wood and Haris Kittos.

Hannah and Thomas met while they were studying for the Bachelors of Music at the Royal College of Music, London. Now they are both working towards their Masters at both the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the RCM. Their post-graduate studies have been supported by the Ian Fleming Award (MBF), Countess of Munster, Richard Carne Trust, Leverhulme and GSMD scholarships.
The duo has received tuition from Nigel Clayton, Janet Hilton, Tim Lines, Richard Hosford and Caroline Palmer and have also played in master classes with Pascal Moragues and Nic Carpenter.

In 2008 they were finalists in both the Aqua Viva International Chamber Music Competition, Italy and the North London Festival. Last year they were awarded the prestigious Yamaha Music Foundation of Europe Scholarship. Hannah and Thomas have played in many venues across the UK, including St Martin in the Fields, St James's Piccadilly, Bishopsgate Hall, and Cheltenham Town Hall.

Recently the Glendower Duo has been accepted onto the Concordia Foundation Artist’s Scheme; also they have been busy performing on luxury cruise liners and working in a variety of outreach projects for Live Music Now!

Thomas Besnard from Bordeaux in the South of France holds a diploma of Musical Studies with honours from the Bordeaux Conservatoire and a BMus (hons) degree from the Royal College of Music, studying with Gordon Fergus-Thompson, while having additional lessons in Paris with Alain Planès. He will be continuing his studies at Guildhall School of Music for a Masters Degree. A keen chamber musician, Thomas has performed in Wales, England, France, Switzerland and Poland.

Hannah Morgan is from Newport in South Wales, she also has a BMus (hons) degree from the RCM studying with Tim Lines, Janet Hilton and Richard Hosford. She has won a scholarship to continue her studies in MMus at the RCM. As a soloist, Hannah has been awarded the Ian Fleming Charitable Trust Award and the Countess of Munster prize, also she won the Selmer Clarinet Prize in memory of Frederick Thurston. As an ensemble player, Hannah has played in many great venues including the Royal Albert Hall, Birmingham Symphony Hall and Concertgebouw with orchestras such as the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and the National Chamber Orchestra of Wales. This summer, she performed at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam with the National Youth Orchestra of the Netherlands.

The Glendower Duo has recently been accepted on the Live Music Now Scheme, performing recitals around Britain. Both Hannah and Thomas would like to thank Philip Carne for his generous sponsorship of the duo which has enabled them both to continue their studies.

Catherine Ireton – vocals
Kim Moore – viola
Michael John McCarthy – guitar

Catherine Ireton, lead singer of Belle and Sebastian's 'God Help the Girl' and Michael John McCarthy, songwriter/guitarist with Zoey van Goey have been playing music together for almost 10 years. Go Away Birds is their collaborative extravaganza with viola player Kim Moore.

The band self-record and produce EPs on a regular basis and perform regularly at venues across Scotland, Ireland and further afield.

Go Away Birds were accepted on to Live Music Now in 2010 for their high quality of musicianship and performance and because of their commitment to making live music accessible to all.

Sam and Tim met while studying for their undergraduate degrees at King’s College London and have worked together ever since. The have recently been accepted onto the ‘Live Music Now’ scheme, and perform LMN concerts to a wide range of audiences across the country. They are a hugely versatile duo playing anything from classical concert recitals right up to modern day jazz.

Sam Corkin began his musical career at the age of 7 when he became a chorister, later head chorister at Bath Abbey under the current director of music, Peter King. It was here that Sam developed a love of choral music and he went on to sing in the Chapel Choir at King’s College London, at the Chapel Royal, Hampton Court Palace, and currently as a Lay Clerk at Rochester Cathedral.

At the age of 11 he began playing the saxophone, passing his grade 8 with distinction only four years later. As principle saxophonist of various ensembles, Sam has toured abroad and, closer to home, performed in venues that include the Royal Festival Hall, The National Theatre and at the Edinburgh fringe festival. Recent performances include a concerto in St John’s, Smith Square, London, solo recitals in Bath Abbey and Rochester Cathedral, and a concert with the London Symphony Orchestra in Barbican Hall. Sam is also proud to represent ‘Live Music Now’ with whom he performs across the UK.

As a member, later president, of the music department at King’s College London, Sam studied the saxophone under Professor Richard Addison at the Royal Academy of Music. In his final year he won a place on the advanced performance course which culminated in a first rate performance. Also in his final year he gained his Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music.

Sam is currently studying the clarinet and flute with Nick Moss and the saxophone with Professors Christian Forshaw and John Harle and is in his final year of a Masters in advanced performance at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Timothy End, born in London, is a much in demand chamber music pianist. He graduated with a first class honours degree in Music from King’s College, London in 2006 before entering Postgraduate study in Piano Accompaniment at the Royal Academy of Music where he gained the prestigious DipRAM award for an outstanding recital in 2008. He held the Shinn Fellowship at RAM for the academic year 2008-09 under the tuition of Julius Drake and Patsy Toh.

Prizes at the Royal Academy of Music include first and second prize in the Delius Competition, the Sir Arthur Bliss Prize, the Flora Nielsen Prize, the Ludmilla Andrew Prize for Russian Song, the Evelyn German Prize for Piano Accompaniment and the Vivian Langrish Memorial Prize at the final of the RAM Club Prize Competition. Timothy was also awarded the Sir Anthony Lewis Memorial Prize accompanying the bass-baritone George Humphreys. In February of this year Timothy was awarded the Parnell Award for an Accompanist at the ROSL Annual Music Competition. He not only accompanied the trumpeter Huw Morgan who won the Woodwind and Brass Section of the competition but also the baritone Jonathan McGovern who won the Singers’ Section.

Recent engagements include a song recital with the bass Sir John Tomlinson at the Saville Club in Central London.

Forthcoming engagements include a recital for the Iford Summer Festival and concerts through ROSL with the Camilla Wind Ensemble at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Timothy has performed masterclasses with Thomas Allen, Robert Tear, Ann Murray, Felicity Lott, Barbara Bonney, Rudolf Jansen, Jean-Philip Schulz and most recently Margaret Price at the Machynlleth Festival in Wales, performing Schumann’s Liederkreis Op.39.

Timothy has also recently been accepted onto the Making Music Artists’ Scheme with the trumpeter Huw Morgan

Formed in 2005, Groves have been trained individually and as an ensemble at the RNCM. Their achievements include: Two times runners up in the Phillip Jones Prize for chamber music and masterclasses hosted by the Ni Ensemble, Boston Brass, German Brass and Hakan Hardenberger. A lively and versatile ensemble; they present recitals, concerts and workshops in the Manchester area with regular contracting from the RNCM External Engagement office. They are proud to be joining Euphonium virtuoso David Thornton in January 2010 to premiere three brand new pieces at the RNCM Festival of Brass.