The Philip and Dorothy Green Young Artists (PDGYA) awards have helped kick start the careers of artists including Steven Isserlis, Elizabeth Watts and Craig Ogden, by providing up-and-coming classical musicians with opportunities to be booked for performances with Making Music’s 3,600+ group members.
2021 winners
Emanuele Addis – guitar
Emanuele Addis began his classical guitar training at the age of 14 at Liceo Musicale, under the guidance of Calogero Sportato. A member of Frederic Zigante's class, Emanuele graduated with first-class honours from the Conservatorio Antonio Vivaldi in Alessandria, and is currently completing his master's degree at the Royal Academy of Music, studying under Michael Lewin. He has won numerous regional, national and international awards, including the Moncalieri European Music Competition and the 2017 Ansaldi National Competition, and performed solo recitals in Italy, Germany, Serbia and Bulgaria.
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Michael Gibson – tenor
Scottish tenor Michael Gibson is a recent graduate of the RCM Opera Studio, having studied with Janis Kelly. He previously graduated from the RCS, completing a B.Ed in Music, and the RNCM, where he studied with Peter Alexander Wilson. Recent opera roles include Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Azael (L'enfant prodigue), Ecclitico (Il mondo della luna) and Romeo scenes (Roméo et Juliette) at the RCM Opera Studio. An in-demand concert soloist, Michael has performed works including Mozart's Requiem, Handel's Messiah, Puccini's Messa di Gloria, Bach's St John Passion, Finzi's Dies Natalis, and song cycles including Britten’s Winter Words and Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin.
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James Gilbert – clarinet
James is currently an ABRSM scholar at the Royal Academy of Music. He has received both the Queen's Award for Excellence and a Musician's Company Award. James has appeared as a soloist performing Finzi's Clarinet Concerto with John Wilson and the Academy Symphony Orchestra, for both solo and chamber recitals for the Leeds International Concert Season, and has played alongside Ryan Wigglesworth at the BBC Proms. James' orchestral work has included appearing as Guest Principal with the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. He has also enjoyed both touring internationally and recording with the Philharmonia Orchestra, London Chamber Orchestra and Sinfonia of London.
Victor Lim – piano
South Korean/British pianist Victor Lim is establishing himself as one of the most versatile and creative musicians of his generation. Following his first public appearance in BBC Young Musician of the Year 2012, Victor has performed internationally as a soloist and collaborative pianist in the UK, France, Germany, Austria, Norway, Denmark, Romania, China, Singapore and South Korea. Victor was the winner of the prestigious RNCM Gold Medal in 2021, and previously studied at the Norwegian Academy of Music and Royal Academy of Music, where he graduated with both DipRAM and the Christian Carpenter Prize for best final recital.
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Madeleine Pickering – violin
Madeleine Pickering is a British violinist and violist. She has just graduated from the Royal Academy of Music, where she won all the major prizes for her instruments: the Theodore Holland Viola Prize (2016), the Winifred Small Prize for Solo Violin (2020) and the Martin/Hooton Violin Concerto Prize (2021). She recently directed and performed as a soloist with the Academy String Orchestra in a recording of Mendelssohn’s Concerto in D minor for Violin and Strings. Madeleine is also in regular demand as a chamber musician, orchestral leader and director. She plays a violin by Giovanni Pistucci c.1800, loaned to her by the Harrison-Frank Foundation in association with J&A Beare.
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2020 winners
Elizabeth works as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral player across the UK and beyond. She has won international and national prizes from the USA International Harp Competition 2016 (2nd Prize), Lyon&Healy Awards 2013 (winner) and the London Camac Harp Competition 2014 (1st Prize). She regularly takes bookings for festivals and music clubs across the UK. As an orchestral musician she has played with, among others, the BBC Concert, BBC Symphony, Frankfurt Radio and the City of Birmingham Symphony orchestras and works with chamber orchestras and contemporary groups including the City of London Sinfonia, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group and Lontano.
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Winner of the Royal Over-Seas League Competition 2020 (woodwind section), Hong Kong flautist Sirius Chau has been named a Young Artist of Making Music, the Tillett Trust, Manchester Mid-day Concerts Series and Musicus Society. Recent highlights have included receiving the Tagore Gold Medal from HRH The Prince of Wales and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Scholarship, solo recitals at the Wigmore and Bridgewater Hall, as well as working with the BBC Symphony and English National Opera orchestras. He also won the Magalif International Competition and Eastbourne Soloist Competition. Sirius studied at the Royal College of Music with Katie Bedford, Emer McDonough and Sue Thomas.
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Eleanor Corr — violin
Eleanor is winner of the Royal Overseas League Annual Music Competition 2020, where she was awarded the first prize, Gold Medal, and Award for Strings. Eleanor has performed recitals and concertos at Royal Albert Hall Elgar Room, St Martin-in-the-Fields and St George’s Bristol, and makes her Queen Elizabeth Hall debut in 2020. She recorded Stravinsky’s Soldier’s Tale for Linn Records, conducted by Oliver Knussen. Since leading English Touring Opera she has been much in demand as a guest concertmaster/director. Her duo with pianist Emil Duncumb has performed on modern and period instruments across Europe. Her quartet, Pocket Sinfonia, won the St Martin-in-the-Fields Chamber Competition Audience Prize, have been broadcast on BBC Radio 3, and are REMA Young Artists.
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Natasha Page studies at the Royal College of Music International Opera Studio where she holds the Huffner Scholarship. Natasha recently covered solos for the Royal Ballet’s production of Medusa (Royal Opera House). She has performed as a guest artist with the Hertford Symphony Orchestra and de Havilland Philharmonic. Concert highlights include performing at Chichester Cathedral, Guildford Cathedral, the Hertfordshire Festival of Music and the Amersham Festival of Music. Natasha is a Leeds Lieder Young Artist, winner of the Song Prize at the Mozart Singing Competition, Audience Prize at the Dean and Chadlington Competition, Recital Prize at the North London Festival of Music.
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Franco-Belgian pianist Antoine Préat made his orchestral debut at 17 with the Orchestra of Allicante; since then he performs regularly with orchestras in the UK and in Europe. Performance highlights include Wigmore Hall, Salle Gaveau, Salle Cortot, Festival Nohant Chopin, as well as a performance for HRH the Duchess of Gloucester. After graduating from the Ecole Normale in Paris with distinction, Antoine went on to study at the Royal Academy of Music with Tatiana Sarkissova and Christopher Elton where he received multiple awards.
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Previous winners
Double bass
2018 Toby Hughes
Cello
1974 Emma Ferrand
1979 Steven Isserlis
1990 Louise Hopkins
1994 Richard May
1998 Jamie Walton
2000 Tim Wells
2002 Gemma Rosefield
2005 Alexandra Scott
2006 Oliver Coates
2008 James Barralet
2010 Philip Higham
2011 Y2, Yelian He
2012 Adi Tal
2013 Ariana Kashefi
2014 Alberto Casadei
2015 Ella Rundle
2016 Yoanna Prodanova
2019 Indira Grier
Viola
1990 Rachel Bolt
2000 Juliet Jopling
2006 Dimitri Murrath
2016 Rosalind Ventris
2017 Luba Tunnicliffe
Violin
1964 Frances Mason
1984 Lorraine McAsalan
1990 Leo Payne
1994 Simon Blendis
2001 Helen Wood
2002 Benjamin Wragg
2004 Nadia Wijzenbeek
2005 Fenella Humphreys
2006 Thomas Gould
2007 Diana Galvydyte
2007 Dmitri Torchinsky
2008 Sara Deborah Struntz
2009 Anna-Liisa Bezrodny
2009 Mathieu van Bellen
2012 Edgar Bailey
2013 Adelia Myslov
2014 Joo Yeon Sir
2015 Savitri Grier
2016 Michael Foyle
2016 Júlia Pusker
2017 Emily Sun
2018 Alexandra Lomeiko
2019 Abel Puustinen
Guitar
1994 Craig Ogden
2014 Manus Noble
2016 Laura Snowden
Harp
1969 Susan Drake
1994 Susan Blair
2000 Catriona McKay
2005 Eleanor Turner
2017 Rosanna Rolton
Flute
1976 Philippa Davies
1981 Margaret Campbell
1986 Ileana Rutherton
1994 Emily Beynon
2003 Burak Besir
2004 Juliette Bausor
2012 Rosanna Ter-Berg
2014 Katherine Birtles
2015 Charlotte Ashton
2018 Emma Halnan
Clarinet
1965 Janet Hilton
1971 Roger Fallows
1990 Anthony Pike
1998 Corinna Harris
2007 Katie Lockhart
2010 Boyan Ivanov
2011 Daniel Broncano
2012 Mark Simpson
2013 Joseph Shiner
2014 Matthew Scott
Oboe
2000 Owen Dennis
2019 Amy Roberts
Saxophone
1990 Gerard McChrystal
1998 Damien Royonnais
2000 Sarah Field
2005 John Barker
2009 Hannah Marcinowicz
2011 Huw Wiggin
2013 Anthony Brown
2014 Amy Green
2017 Jonathan Radford
2018 Lewis Banks
2019 Manu Brazo
Euphonium
2003 David Childs
French Horn
2007 Alec Frank-Gemmill
Trumpet
2010 Huw Morgan
2017 Matilda Lloyd
2004 O Duo
1961 John Barstow
1973 Philip Fowke
1978 Paul Coker
1983 Benjamin Frith
1988 Andrew West
1992 James Kirby
1992 Anthony Hewitt
1992 Eryl Lloyd Williams
1996 Stephen de Pledge
1996 Anthony Zerpa Falcon
1996 Viv McLean
1998 Roderick Chadwick
2000 Mark Nixon
2001 Ron Abramski
2001 Geoffrey Duce
2002 The Saxel Piano Duo
2002 David Quigley
2003 Bobby Chen
2003 Javier Negrin
2004 Samantha Ward
2005 Alasdair Beatson
2006 Luis Pares
2006 Evelina Puzaite
2007 Amandine Savary
2008 Jessica Chan
2008 James Willshire
2009 Néstor Bayona Pifarré
2009 Michael Ierace
2010 Olivia Sham, Shuenda Wong
2011 James Sherlock
2011 Y2, Yasmin Rowe
2013 Joseph Houston
2013 Mario Mora
2014 Mario Panteliadis
2014 Alexander Soares
2015 Jinah Shim
2016 Dinara Klinton
2017 Florian Mitrea
2018 Ugnius Pauliukonis
2019 Antonina Suhanova
Female voices
1970 Anne Collins (Contralto)
1975 Kathleen Livingstone (Soprano)
1980 Ann Mackay (Soprano)
1985 Christine Bunning (Soprano)
1989 Mary Plazas (Soprano)
1993 Susanne Teufel (Soprano)
1993 Carole Court (Mezzo)
1993 Yvonne Rossen (Fontane) (Mezzo)
1993 Jane Irwin (Mezzo)
1997 Louise Mott (Mezzo)
1997 Aileen Sim (Soprano)
1999 Donna Bateman (Soprano)
2001 Kathryn McGuckin (Soprano)
2001 Julianne Young (Mezzo)
2003 Elizabeth Watts (Soprano)
2004 Jennifer Johnston (Mezzo)
2006 Elena Xanthoudakis (Soprano)
2007 Daniela Lehner
2008 Stephanie Corley (Soprano)
2008 Erica Eloff (Soprano)
2009 Sarah Power (Soprano)
2010 Mae Heydorn (Mezzo-soprano), Valda Wilson (Soprano)
2011 Caroline MacPhie (Soprano)
2011 Robyn Allegra Parton (Soprano)
2012 Lucy Roberts (Soprano)
2013 Laura Margaret Smith (Mezzo-soprano)
2015 Joanna Songi (Soprano)
2015 Nazan Fikret (Soprano)
2016 Raphaela Papadakis (Soprano)
2018 Catriona Hewitson (Soprano)
2019 Charlotte Bowden (Soprano)
Male voices
1968 Richard Angas (Bass)
1972 Neil Jenkins (Tenor)
1977 David Wilson-Johnson (Bass-Baritone)
1982 Stewart Buchanan (Baritone)
1987 Peter Langham-Evans (Baritone)
1991 Christopher Foster (Bass-Baritone)
1991 Ian Bostridge (Tenor)
1991 Henry Wickham (Baritone)
1995 Roderick Williams (Baritone)
1995 Jeremy Huw Williams (Baritone)
1995 William Purefoy (Counter Tenor)
1995 Stephen Wallace (Counter Tenor)
1999 Andrew Moore (Baritone)
2003 Mark Chaundy (Tenor)
2005 Nicholas Mulroy
2012 Njabulo Madlala (Baritone)