The Peter Chase Award: Scott Quinn

The Peter Chase Award gives financial support to talented young musicians in Sowerby Music’s catchment area.

Hello friends, Here is a short resume of my last few months:

• The highlight of my year was the China Tour in October with the National Children’s orchestra. - We played in the Forbidden City concert Hall, rehearsed at the Children’s Palace, played at Beijing University in the Beijing Children’s Music Festival, and played musical accompaniment for a Chinese Dramatic performance of Mozart’s life and work. ~In between this we visited the Terracotta army and Great Wall of China. It was just a fantastic time that I will never forget and the music was really well received by the Chinese people. Apart from a little hiccup with customs (no double bass for a month!) it went really smoothly and I was principal bass player for half of the tour.
• I was thrilled to be given the chance to appear in a Spotlight Concert with the Jazz ensemble that I play with at RNCM. We all enjoyed it and it was very well received.
• Knaresborough Music Festival was great fun this year. So that I wasn't competing against my sister I decided to enter the Piano section while Flissy entered the Strings section. This year so as not to be left out my younger brother Ross entered the percussion section and that day we all three came away with first prizes! Mum and Dad were a bit pleased, especially when we treated them to a take-away with our winnings, on the way home!!
• In December I played with the National Children’s Orchestra at Queen Elizabeth Hall London. We have to retire at 14yrs so this was the last concert for me and my friends in the Main Orchestra. It was an amazing concert with several standing ovations and all very emotional at the end.
• Following a jazz and improvisation workshop in Boroughbridge my brother and I were invited to join Annie Whitehead and her Jazz Quintet at a gig in Harrogate at the Swan Hotel. We sat and watched in the audience, thinking that she may have forgotten us but she hadn't and we were invited up onto the stage, me on keyboards and Ross on drums. We played two numbers with them, including a solo part each and it went down really well- so good to play jazz with real professionals.
• When I returned to RNCM in September I was put into a Jazz quartet with Mark Simpson, Young Musician of the year 2006. This is a real privilege and the quartet is sounding really good.
• At school I landed the leading role of Danny in Grease the musical. We did performances for a week and it was exhausting! The singing and dancing was a new experience for me and something I might continue with - given time!
• I am also having a go at a rock / jazz band with a couple of friends. We've been practicing every weekend for about 2 months and we're quite pleased with it.
• Apart from this I'm having a go at the trumpet and struggling to get into my GCSE work, which isn't that appealing when I'm having such a great time with the music! So I'm spending my Easter hols. doing some catching up.

Kind regards and thanks to all at Sowerby Music for all the ongoing support, Scott Quinn.