The Beatrice Huntington Award for Cellists
The annual Beatrice Huntington Award was established by William Syson (1930-2019) in memory of his great friend, Beatrice Huntington (1889-1988), an accomplished Scottish Artist and Cellist.
We are closed for applications, we will re-open in October 2024 for our 2025 Awards and publish our new application form on this page with a closing date in December 2024.
There are two categories each year: Junior Award (age 12-17) and the Senior Award (age 18-22). The winner in each category will receive £5,000 and runners up will receive £2,500. The judges reserve the right to split prizes into smaller denominations if there is not a clear winner.
In 2024 there was no clear winner for the Junior Award, 6 smaller awards were therefore given to the award recipients listed below.
2024 Beatrice Huntington Award Winners
Senior Award Winner
Jae Min Kim Kang
Born in Gran Canaria, Jae Min (22) started his musical studies at the Academy of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Gran Canaria with Carlos Rivero and Tomasz Tytlak. Currently, he is studying at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with Martin Storey, and he will be continuing his studies next year, as a scholar, at the Royal Academy of Music with Josephine Knight.
Over the years, Jae Min has taken part in masterclasses with José Enrique Bouché, Erica Wise, Fernando Arias, Helena Poggio, Beatriz Blanco and Pei Jee Ng. He has played as principal cellist at the Youth Orchestra of the Canary Islands (JOCAN) and for the RCS Symphony Orchestra. He has also played with the RSNO, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Gran Canaria (OFGC) and the Scottish Ensemble at venues such as the Usher Hall, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Auditorio Alfredo Kraus and Auditorio Kuursal.
Senior Award Runner Up
Sarah Baker
Sarah Baker, age 19, began playing cello at age three and attends the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, studying with Dr Alison Wells. Sarah has soloed with The Utah Symphony, Utah Philharmonic and with the Timpanogos, American Fork and Warminster Symphonies. Sarah won the Utah Symphony Youth Guild Competition in 2020 and 2016 and the Washington Performing Arts Society Feder Competition in 2015. Sarah and her sister Hannah were also selected to perform on NPR’s popular From The Top Program in 2022.
With her mother and siblings, Sarah has performed in musical group ”Jenny Oaks Baker & Family Four" with orchestras and choirs throughout the country including The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra on Temple Square, the Millennial Choirs and Orchestras and The Utah Symphony. A favourite with audiences, they have performed throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and in Africa. Their debut album, “Jenny Oaks Baker & Family Four” hit #4 on the Billboard Classical Crossover and Classical Charts and their most recent album, “Joy to the World” hit #7 on the Billboard Classical Crossover Chart.
Junior Award
Hannah Swinney
Hannah Swinney is a 17-year-old cellist from Dunbar, East Lothian. She’s currently studying at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s Junior programme with David Munn. Hannah plays in the RCS Juniors Symphony orchestra and string ensemble and sings in the senior choir.
In 2023, Hannah took part in Encore Music Project’s 10th international summer school. During this, she had lessons with Dr Alison Wells and participated in chamber ensembles - including a quintet and a piano trio which were coached by Ben Davies and Gary Ryan.
Hannah recently took part in the Benedetti Foundation’s Youth Ambassador programme, where she received weekly mentoring sessions and inspiring guest talks from Anna Lapwood, Jess Gillam, Melissa White and the Ayoub Sisters.
Hannah is also passionate about music production. She likes to experiment with different recording techniques and mixing these to get the best, and most unique sounds. She is interested in taking her playing in different directions, exploring new styles and combining the cello with voice.
Luca Sant Angelo
Luca is a multi-instrumentalist with cello as his main instrument. He is going to study traditional cello at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland after a year in Plockton at the National Center of Excellence in Traditional music. He started playing in primary school in his local village of Aboyne, where he learnt through the council from the age of 9. He still keeps a foot planted in the classical music scene, as he enjoys playing in an orchestral setting and attending events such as the Benedetti sessions and the Aboyne Cello festival.
Danny Urquhart
Danny is a 17-year-old cellist from Stirling. He began his musical journey at the age of 6 through Sistema Scotland’s Big Noise Programme in Raploch. He now plays in the Raploch String Ensemble under the leadership of Verónica Urrego. He is currently studying under the tutelage of Susan Dance at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Juniors. He is a current member of the RSNO and SCO Youth Assembly, whilst also working part-time with RSNO. He has been a member of both NYOS Classical and Jazz courses.
Through his involvement with Big Noise, Danny has participated in many concerts including playing at the Usher Hall with Gustavo Dudamel, BBC Proms in the Park and at the Scottish Parliament. Last year, Danny was selected, along with 10 other young people to represent Big Noise at the international culture festival with the KM Conservatoire in Chennai, India.
Whilst Danny greatly enjoys performance, he is also passionate about the transformative power of music and enjoys working with children with additional support needs. His future aim is to become a Music Therapist.
Majka Wereszczynska
Majka is a 14-year-old multi-instrumentalist specialising in the cello, calling Perth and Kinross home. Currently honing their craft in the cello program at Juniors RCS under the mentorship of Mr. Peter Phelan, Majka recently achieved a notable milestone by clinching the Premier Instrumental Award with an impressive Honours distinction at Perform in Perth.
This recognition is a testament to their consistent excellence, having secured first place with each instrument in prior competitions. Their journey with the cello, which began at the relatively late age of around 11 years old, has been transformative, marked by profound growth, unyielding joy, and an abiding love for music, expanded through the last 3 years.
Rooted in a rich Polish-Scottish heritage, Majka deeply values this accolade as it provides an avenue to pursue their musical dreams. Their exploration of diverse music genres, ranging from Eurovision to Classical and Jazz, is fuelled by admiration for composers such as Käärijä, Jacob Collier, Louis Cole, and Prokofiev.
Majka aspires to share their passion for these varied musical styles with audiences, aiming to inspire and connect through the universal language of music. Since joining the Perth Youth Orchestra in 2022, Majka has held the esteemed position of first desk, first chair and in the cello section. This experience has not only polished their musical skills but also fostered meaningful connections within the musical community. With this significant achievement as a springboard, Majka is poised for further triumphs on both national and international stages. Eager to embark on the next chapter of their musical odyssey, they remain committed to forging connections with fellow musicians, while championing the transformative power of music and supporting aspiring artists.
Aldyth Tierney-Hynes
Aldyth is a 12-year-old cellist who lives in Edinburgh but was born in Canada. She started playing cello at the age of four at the Kingsway Conservatory in Toronto. She moved to Scotland at age six where she started lessons with Helen Duncan, whom she has been studying with ever since.
Aldyth is drawn to orchestral playing and has participated in ensemble and orchestral courses with Ssot and EYO, Orchestral Summer Schools at Chethams, in Manchester, and has been accepted into the NYOS development orchestra. She also plays with the Edinburgh School Symphony Orchestra on a weekly basis.
In recent years she has been taking as many opportunities to perform as possible, including numerous non-competitive classes in the Edinburgh Music Competition Festival, and a competitive class in which she placed first and was awarded the Colin O’Riordan medal.
Aldyth is delighted to be able to use her award to fund her first time in the NYOS development orchestra.
Emily Savage
Emily is 11 she has been playing the cello since the age of 6 with her teacher Lynne Fleming. Emily was first introduced to the instrument at The Edinburgh International Book Festival at the tender age of 5. She attends Edinburgh Academy where she plays in the school orchestra as well as several other musical groups. Emily is a member of Edinburgh Youth Orchestra, and she participates in the Benedetti Sessions and enjoys attending the Scottish Schools Orchestra Trust's 'play away days’ and their Summer residential courses. Emily also plays in her local cello choir at Stockbridge Church which is run by Clea Friend.
When not involved in musical activities Emily enjoys art, netball and swimming and playing with her friends.
Emily was so excited to be selected by the judges to win a prize. She will use the award money to purchase a full size cello.
Previous Beatrice Huntington Award Winners
2023 Award Winners
Senior Award Winner
Shakira Segalla-Humbert
Shakira is currently in her first year at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland studying with Alison Wells. She grew up in Edinburgh and attended the City of Edinburgh Music School, St Mary’s Music School and the Junior Royal Conservatoire of Scotland .
In recent years she has won the 10-minute and 15-minute recital classes at the Edinburgh Competition Festival, and was a finalist in the Concerto Competition where she played with a full orchestra at the Queen’s Hall.
At the age of 10 Shakira participated in a short film on Robert Schumann’s ‘Advice to Young Musicians’. She has participated in masterclasses with Steven Isserlis, Philip Higham, Nicholas Alstadt, Gautier Capuçon, Alice Neary and Pieter Wispelwey. She has received assistance from Awards for Young Musicians, Future Talent, and the Felicity Belfield Music Trust, ( from whom she also borrowed a cello)
Shakira has played with the National Children’s Orchestra, the National Youth Orchestras of Scotland and the Aboyne Cello Festival. This summer she will participate in the Cantilena Festival on Islay and the Cello Classics Summer Course in Tuscany, before resuming her studies at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in September.
Joint Junior Award Winner
Anna Sciarretta
Anna is a 17-year-old cellist based near St Andrews, and has been playing the cello since the age of 7. She is currently studying at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland - Junior Conservatoire - under Martin Storey, after previously studying at the Junior Guildhall in London. Over the course of her studies, she has taken part in various masterclasses, including courses in Italy with Marco Scano, Pietro Nappi and with a former teacher Alfia Nakipbekova.
She has had various performance opportunities, delving into both chamber and orchestral music, and also solo work. She performed on numerous occasions under Julian Clayton as a member of the Junior Guildhall Symphony Orchestra and Nigel Goldberg of the Youth Music Centre in London. Anna was part of the National Children Orchestra in 2020 and 2021
Joint Junior Award Winner
Roshni Bhaumik
Roshni is a 16 year old cellist from Glasgow. She started playing cello at the age of eleven and joined the Music School of Douglas Academy when she was thirteen, where she was taught by Duncan Strachan. Her current teacher is Martin Storey. Roshni also studies at RCS Juniors and has played in NYoS Symphony Orchestra and the WSSO Symphony Orchestra.
Roshni particularly enjoys chamber music. She plays in the Douglas Academy Senior String Quartet and this year has set up a clarinet trio and a cello ensemble at school. The String Quartet recently played at the final night of Glasgow Music Festival.
Roshni is particularly interested in exploring works by female composers and those from other under-represented groups. She hopes to showcase some of these when she takes her cello diploma next year.
Roshni plays on a school cello, so she is delighted to receive this award as it will enable her to buy a cello of her own.
2022 Award Winners
Will Archibald
Will Archibald is a 14-year-old cellist from the south of Scotland. He started playing the cello at the age of 6 and now attends Langholm Academy where he studies with Alex McQuiston.
Will has been part of the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland as well as local youth orchestras in Dumfries and Galloway and Cumbria, where he has performed in many local venues both as part of an ensemble and solo.
Over the years he has played in masterclasses with Hannah Roberts, Karine Georgian, Richard Harwood, Benedict Kloeckner, Christophe Croisé and Robert Max.
Currently, Will plays on a cello made by Lockey Hill c. 1780, kindly made available through the Benslow Music Instrument Loan Scheme.
Jalayne Mitchell
Jalayne does not have a typical story of an aspiring classical musician. She started cello lessons at age 16, and was self-taught for 5 years prior. It is self-evident that she has had to work extremely hard for her place in classical music. For a long time, she did not have the means to take cello lessons, and her home life made it incredibly difficult to practice.
Through hard work, the support of a few generous benefactors, and more hard work, she has begun carving out her space in classical music. She is the recipient of a German cello made in 1890, loaned to her by the Carlsen Cello Foundation in Seattle, Washington, and is presently attending the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland on a private scholarship, studying under Dr. Alison Wells.
She has been principal cellist for multiple RCS symphonies, one of which was the opening night of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, held in Glasgow (COP26). She has played solo and chamber music concerts (including works by Shostakovich, Janacek, Beethoven, and Bach), performed side-by-side with the Scottish Ensemble and the Brodsky Quartet, and is due to perform with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in the spring. She is a regular attendee at the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music, held in Keene, NH, and has previously attended Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival (2018, 2020). In spring of 2021, she had the incredible opportunity to take a masterclass with Steven Isserlis.
Jalayne is so grateful to the people at The William Syson Foundation for this prestigious award. It is her hope to continue on this journey, to break down the barriers of the classical music world, and eventually open doors for other minorities to be a bigger part of this genre of music.
2021 Award Winners
Joint Senior Award Winner
Madelyn Kowalski
Cellist Madelyn Kowalski grew up on a small island in the Pacific Northwest of the USA. She is currently a masters student with Alison Wells at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS), where she also completed her BMus degree. She is the recipient of an ABRSM International Postgraduate Scholarship, and awards from the William Syson and Hattori foundations and Help Musicians. In 2018 she was 2nd prize-winner of the Concours International de Violoncelle ‘Tremplin’ in Paris. She has won many other prizes at the RCS and was awarded 2nd prize in the 2019 Cavatina Intercollegiate Chamber Music Competition in London. In 2019 as part of a small ensemble, she premiered a work written and conducted by Sir James MacMillan for HRH Prince Charles’s 70th birthday. Last year she gave the Scottish premiere of Errollyn Wallen's cello concerto with the RCS orchestra.
An avid chamber musician, Madelyn has performed many recitals with her duo, including recording streamed concerts for BBC Radio 3 and Chamber Music Scotland. She has attended festivals and masterclass programs including IMS Prussia Cove and Hellensmusic in the UK, and Yellow Barn, Kneisel Hall, and Sitka in the USA, and has had masterclasses with cellists including Steven Isserlis, Jean-Guihen Queyras, Ralph Kirshbaum, Raphael Wallfisch, David Geringas, and Antônio Meneses. She has performed side-by-side with Scottish orchestras and has collaborated in chamber music projects with Joseph Swensen, and members of the Brodsky Quartet and the Hebrides Ensemble. Madelyn is a huge lover of animals, and back at her childhood home, her beloved German Shepherds, Treu and Elsa, are always waiting patiently for her to visit.
Joint Senior Award Winner
Hugo Eedle
Hugo is a 22 year old cellist from Dumfries, Scotland. Hugo started the cello aged 10, and at 14 successfully auditioned to Chethams school of Music, where he studied with Nicholas Jones, and then went on to study as a scholar with Thomas Carroll at the Royal College of Music, supported by The Dewar Arts Award. He currently studies at the Hochschule für musik und Tanz in Cologne, with Thomas Carroll.
Hugo has taken part in masterclasses with Karine Georgian, Guy Johnson, Robert Cohen, and Francis Guten, and Torleif thedéen, and has also played in Chetham’s symphony orchestra at venues such as the Royal Festival Hall, Bridgewater Hall, Milton Court, and Dukes Hall. He has also performed many concerts at Chetham’s, in the Royal College of Music, and in Cologne, and is very dedicated to chamber music, having performed with his quartet at the RNCM, Barratt Due Musikkinstitutt in Norway, and the Bridgewater hall.
Junior Award Winner
Layla Ballard
Layla Ballard is a 17-year-old cellist from Edinburgh, Scotland. In September she will be starting her studies at the Royal College of Music in London with teacher Melissa Phelps. She has been part of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain for two years and has played in high profile venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, Konzerthaus in Berlin and Queens Hall in Edinburgh as both an orchestral player and soloist.
This year she won the annual St Mary’s Music School Director’s Recital Prize Competition and was also a finalist of the school's Lord Clyde Concerto Competition. She won the Leonid Freidman Chamber Music prize as a member of the St Mary’s String Quartet in both 2020 and 2021. In the past year she has played in masterclasses with Steven Isserlis, Nicolas Aldstadt, Gautier Capuçon, Leonid Gorokhov, Natasha Brofsky and Hannah Roberts.
2020 Award Winners
Rhona Pryce
Rhona Pyrce is 13 and has been playing the cello since the age of 6. She started her musical studies at Edinburgh Young Musicians Saturday classes and is now studying cello privately with Tim Paxton, and she also plays piano.
Rhona attends Boroughmuir High school. She is a member of the Edinburgh Youth orchestra, The Waddell Orchestra and Edinburgh Schools Symphony Orchestra, and also benefits from playing in smaller ensembles.
When not engaged in musical activities Rhona enjoys sport and outdoor pursuits.
The judges were delighted to award her the Beatrice Huntington Junior Award in 2020, which will enable her to purchase a new instrument in order to fully develop her talents.
Finn Mannion
Finn Mannion (18), is a Scottish-Irish cellist who performs regularly as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician at international venues and festivals.Currently, Finn studies with Prof. David Watkin and Alison Wells at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland after joining the pre-college program in 2019. Finn has attended the Scandinavian Cello School in Denmark on numerous occasions, where he is mentored by cellist Jacob Shaw. Previously, Finn was awarded a government-aided place to study with Ruth Beauchamp at St Mary’s Music School in Edinburgh (2012-2019). At school, Finn excelled in performance, winning first prize in numerous recital competitions. He was awarded the school’s Chamber Music Prize and the Calvert Cup for Services to String Music.
Finn was the youngest ever recipient of the prestigious ‘Julius Isserlis’ Scholarship (2019) from the Royal Philharmonic Society in London. He was also the senior winner of the 2020 Beatrice Huntington Award for Cellists. These awards have allowed Finn to travel for masterclasses, auditions and competitions in Europe and America. Over the years, Finn has gained musical inspiration after being selected to perform in masterclasses with reputable cellists including: Nicolas Altstaedt, Clive Greensmith, Hannah Roberts, Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt, Philip Higham, Troels Svane, Claudio Bohórquez, Xenia Jankovic, Matias de Oliveira Pinto, and Peter Bruns.
Currently, Finn plays on an old English cello made by Lockey Hill c. 1790.