The Beatrice Huntington Award for Cellists

Ellamay Mantie is a Canadian cellist and avid chamber musician, recently sharing the stage with renowned artists such as Noah Bendix-Balgley, Remi Pelletier, Jeffrey Meyers, and Andrew Wan. She has performed with the Orchestra Symphonique de Montreal, and completed a mentorship scheme with the BBC Scottish Symphony. In the 2026-27 season, she will participate in the Scottish Ensemble’s Emerging Artist programme. Currently pursuing her Master’s degree at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with Alison Wells, she previously studied at McGill University under the instruction of Brian Manker. 

During her time at McGill she performed as a member of the Lyra Quartet, founded in 2023. In Scotland, she formed the Antar Quartet, which won top prize in the 2026 Mabel Glover Award for String Quartet and the RCS’s Chamber Music Competition.

Ellamay enjoys a frequent partnership with Canadian composer Fiona Marchetto, for whom she has premiered several works. Other creative activities have included studio recording for short films and album demos. Ellamay frequently attends prominent music festivals during the summer to enhance her studies. In 2025 she was a fellow at Toronto Summer Music.

Johnny has been a Cellist for 10 years now and is studying at the Royal Conservatoire under Martin Storey, following 4 years at the Music School of Douglas Academy. He won the Douglas Academy Concerto Competition in 2023 and 2025 and the WSSSO Concerto Competition 2025.  

Johnny was appointed principal Cello at the RCS Junior Conservatoire and at Juniors he has taken part in the Nan Christie memorial award which he won last year. In 2025 Johnny won the Rotary Young Musician of the Year and the Ailie Cullen Memorial prize at the Glasgow Music Festival.

Johnny loves Rostropovich’s message about the Cello, where he wants to bring the Cello up to the popularity of the violin or the piano. Johnny hopes he can inspire others to learn the Cello as well.

Junior Award Winner

Patrick Fourie

Junior Runner Up

Marcel Zak

Marcel started his music journey when he was 11 years old, originally learning the violin until he heard the cello and knew he had to switch instrument. Self taught for 6 months until attending Secondary School where he benefitted from his cello teacher. Since then, Marcel has played with a local orchestra, Fiddlesticks, with whom he has entered several competitions and performed solos. In January 2026 he won the young musician of the year junior category for his school and participated in the Edinburgh Music Competition Festival. He is determined to become a professional cellist and to play with the big orchestras! The cellists that inspire him are Sol Gabetta, Anastasia Kobekina, Gautier Capuçon and his Cello teacher, Amy Sims.