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 performing opportunities with Making Music’s 3,300+ group members.
In the current economic climate, where arts funding is scarcer than ever, it can be tough for amateur music groups to engage high-quality soloists for their concerts. The £150 for soloists and £250 for accompanied artists subsidy we provide makes it realistic for our members to book these talented musicians at the start of their careers, who in turn get crucial real-world performance experience and opportunities to raise their profile.
2018 winners
Lewis Banks - saxophone
Scottish saxophonist Lewis Banks studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland where he won most major prizes and was awarded full marks in his final undergraduate recital, graduating with a Bachelor of Music with Honours (First Class). In the same year, while still an undergraduate student, Lewis appeared with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra as soloist in Jacques Ibert’s Concertino da Camera. Lewis has since continued his masters studies at the Conservatoire, during which time he became a Yeoman of the Worshipful Company of Musicians. In March 2019, Lewis will appear in recital at the Southbank Centre's Purcell Room.
Emma Halnan - Flute
Emma first came to prominence when she won the BBC Young Musician of the Year's Woodwind award. She has performed worldwide and played concerti with orchestras including BBC NOW, the EU Chamber Orchestra and London Mozart Players. Emma studied at the Royal Academy of Music, where her flute-viola-harp trio held a prestigious fellowship from 2014-16. Recitals with pianist Daniel King Smith include St. David’s Hall, Gower Festival and La Côte International Flute Festival. Emma has worked with the EU Youth Orchestra (principal flute), BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (guest principal) and English National Opera (guest piccolo). Emma is a City Music Foundation artist.
Catriona Hewitson - soprano
Toby Hughes - double bass
Toby's aim is to bring as much largely unheard bass repertoire to as wide an audience as possible. In 2011 he took time out from his studies at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) to study with Matthew McDonald, Principal Bass of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Toby graduated from the RNCM in 2015. Awards include the 2013 Chandos Orchestra 'Young Musician of the Year', the string section of the 2014 Royal Over-Seas League (ROSL) Competition (the first double bassist ever to do so) and in 2016 he won the Bromsgrove International Competition. His recital engagements include appearances at the Wigmore Hall, St-Martin-in-the-Fields, Edinburgh Festival and at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, both as part of the ROSL winners platforms.
Alexandra Lomeiko - Violin
Ugnius Pauliukonis - piano
A leading pianist of Lithuania’s new generation of musicians, Ugnius has been performing professionally since the age of 6. Prize-winner of multiple piano competitions, including the Royal Nothern College of Music Gold Medal and Silver Medal from the Worshipful Musicians Company for excellence in performance, Ugnius has worked with many well-known musicians of the musical world, such as Lang Lang, Jean Efflam-Bavouzet, Matti Raekalio, Stephen Hough, Sir Harrison Birtwistle, Eduardo Delgado and many others. As a solo pianist, he has performed with Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, Kaunas State Symphony, and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.
Find out how to book each of the Young Artists in the latest Selected Artists guide
Selected Artists Guide
Find out how to apply as an Artist
Previous winners
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
Viola
1990 Rachel Bolt
2000 Juliet Jopling
2006 Dimitri Murrath
2016 Rosalind Ventris
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
Guitar
1994 Craig Ogden
2014 Manus Noble
2016 Laura Snowden
Harp
1969 Susan Drake
1994 Susan Blair
2000 Catriona McKay
2005 Eleanor Turner
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
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
Euphonium
2003 David Childs
French Horn:
2007 Alec Frank-Gemmill
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
Trumpet
2010 Huw Morgan
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
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)
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)