Yamaha Education Projects

Yamaha Parliamentary Jazz Scholarships

The six 2011 Parliamentary Jazz Scholars, Westminster, July 2011. Photo by Hayley)

Since its launch in 2007, the high-powered and influential partnership between Yamaha in association with Jazzwise, Jazz Services, PPL and the All-Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group provides financial assistance, performance and recording opportunities to a new generation of young jazz musicians, who are nominated each year for special consideration by the heads of jazz at six of the UK's leading conservatoires.

The annual scheme is designed to support young, emerging jazz musicians in their final year of study on a full-time jazz degree course at a UK conservatoire and provides valuable funding and important marketing support through performance and recording opportunities.

The 2011 scholarship winners are: Nick Costley-White (guitar, Guildhall School of Music & Drama), Chris Eldred (piano, Trinity Laban College of Music & Dance), Chris Hyson (double bass, at Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama), Jonathan Silk (drums, Birmingham Conservatoire), Riley Stone-Lonergan (tenor saxophone, Leeds College of Music) and Josh Arcoleo (tenor saxophone, Royal Academy of Music).

The 2010 scholarship winners were: Andrew Linham (sax, LCM); Chris Gilligan (piano, RWCMD); David Hamblett (drums, RAM); Dougie Freeman (piano,GSMD); Lluis Mather (sax, Birmingham Conservatoire) and Peter Randall (double bass, TCM).

The 2009 scholarship winners were: Alex Munk (guitar, LCM); Daoud Merchant (drums, GSMD); Gethin Jones (drums, RWCMD); Kit Downes (piano, RAM); Mark Perry (trumpet, TCM) and Sam Wooster (trumpet, Birmingham Conservatoire).

In 2008 the number of jazz scholars to benefit from the scheme was doubled to six and the heads of jazz at six of the UK's leading conservatoires nominated: Calum Gourlay (double bass, RAM), John Randall (drums, Birmingham Conservatoire), Zem Audu (sax, TCM), Iestyn Jones (electric bass, RWCMD), Rick Simpson (piano, GSMD) and Ruby Wood (voice, LCM).

In addition to the £1,000 scholarship prize awarded to each scholarship winner for developing their studies and skills, and the unique platform of a performance at the Palace of Westminster, all six scholarship award winners have the opportunity to feature alongside some of Yamaha's most highly respected and established jazz artists on The Yamaha New Jazz Sessions promotional CD. Funded by Yamaha Music Europe (UK), each scholarship winner records a track, usually with their bands, with three guest tracks from leading Yamaha jazz artists. The resulting CD is then launched in a December gig at the 606 Club, which further showcases the scholars and their bands performing live, and the CD is then cover-mounted on Jazzwise Magazine's Christmas and New Year double issue.

Yamaha Scholars at a Yamaha New Jazz Sessions CD launch. Scholars featured here include Rick Simpson (piano) and Calum Gourlay (bass), performing at the 606 Club

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(updated: July 2011)