The Directors of the Guernsey Music Bursary, which was set up in 2021 to help support aspiring young musicians in their studies at music college or university, have announced the award of bursaries for the coming academic year.
There are seven successful candidates, who were selected following a rigorous audition process conducted by an independent selection panel in April. Three of them have already been in receipt of a Guernsey Music Bursary (GMB) bursary. New applicants were required to have been offered a conditional place at a conservatoire or university, or already be studying music off island. The objective of the panel was to identify those candidates who could demonstrate a high level of commitment to developing their musical career and that the bursary will make a real difference to their studies.
Of the four new recipients of a bursary, one has already been studying at a UK conservatoire at undergraduate level; the other three are about to embark on undergraduate courses.
Anya Blue Robins is about to graduate from her BMus (hons) undergraduate degree in violin performance at the Royal College of Music, and next year, she has a place on their MPerf Postgraduate course.
Samuel Cole started learning the violin with the Guernsey Music Service and also studies the guitar and piano. Since 2023, he has been attending the Guildhall School of Music and Drama Junior Department on Saturdays during term time and has also performed with the National Youth Orchestra. He has passed the ARSM and ATCL diplomas examinations on the violin and Grade 8 on both guitar and piano. Samuel holds a conditional offer from St Anne’s College at the University of Oxford to study Music BA (Hons), commencing in October 2025.
Archie Purdue has been the Bass Choral Scholar and Choir Librarian of Hereford Cathedral this year and from Autumn 2025 has accepted a place to study for a Music BA (Hons) Undergraduate Degree at Girton College, Cambridge.
Joseph Stoller started learning the violin with the Guernsey Music Service. Since 2021 he has been at Haileybury School and attending the Royal Academy of Music Junior Department on Saturdays during term time. He has also performed with the National Youth Orchestra. Joseph holds a conditional offer from the Royal College of Music to study Music Performance BA (Hons), commencing in September 2025.
The awards to Samuel Cole and Joseph Stoller, who are in their final term at school, are conditional upon their being accepted onto their chosen courses.
Two of the three other successful applicants, Benjamin Childs and Madeleine Vaudin, have had their existing bursaries extended for another year, following continued progress in their courses. Jacob Wright has been awarded a bursary for his postgraduate studies.
Benjamin (piano and cello) and Madeleine (flute) are both studying for their MusB Music undergraduate courses at the University of Manchester.
Jacob is about to graduate from his BMus (hons) undergraduate degree in violin performance at the Royal Northern College of Music, and next year, he has a place on their MMus Postgraduate course. He has been performing with Sinfonia Smith Square in London as part of the mentoring element of the GMB.
Although there is no requirement to do so, all bursary recipients are encouraged to return to the island to give occasional recitals both during their course and upon graduation.
Pictured: Left to right – Anthony Tennant (Accompanist) – Jack Tostevin-Hall (Cor Anglais) , Annabelle Pizzey (Oboe) , Jacob Wright (Violin) , Madeleine Vaudin (Flute)– taken at bursary recipients’ recital September 2024.
