Tom Acton Memorial Trust

Tom Cockett Tenor currently studies at the Royal Academy of Music with Ryland Davies and Audrey Hyland. A former Head Chorister of St. Pauls Cathedral, Tom performed extensively as a treble soloist including for BBC2 and Radio 3, Japanese TV and the British Council in Brazil . In 2007 Tom graduated in Music from Royal Holloway. Tom is extremely grateful to The Kathleen Trust and The Tom Acton Trust for their support.

Thomas Evans began playing the clarinet at 8 years of age. He currently plays 1st clarinet with Essex Youth Orchestra which he joined in 2006. Tom is also a member of the British Clarinet Ensemble. He has played in venues across Europe including Prague, Tuscany, Bruges, Berlin, Vienna and Paris. In 2007 Tom appeared at The Cadogan Hall, London with Essex Youth Orchestra. Tom has taken part in master classes with Andrew Marriner, Hansborg Schellenberger, John Bradbury, Charles Hine and Nicholas Cox. This summer Tom played Weber’s Clarinet Concerto no. 1 with Essex Youth Chamber Orchestra. He has just completed his first year at The Royal Northern College of Music where he studies with Chris Swann.

Jonathan Huff started playing the trumpet at the age of 8. Within 5 years he was playing with the National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain, and in July 2006 he won the Dodman Music Trophy at Davenant Foundation School and joined the Essex Young People’s Orchestra (EYPO). He now attends Junior Guildhall and studies the trumpet with Andy Mitchell. He is a member of various ensembles there, including the Symphony Orchestra. Jonathan continues to play an active part in school music – he is a member of the orchestra, the Concert and Swing bands, and has formed and performs regularly with a six-piece jazz ensemble named Blue Heat. He gained a place in the Essex Youth Orchestra this year. He is also a member of the Essex Youth Symphonic Wind Orchestra.
Jonathan is in his final year at School and hopes to go on to study music at university.

Amanda Michell began studying the horn in 2004, just a few months before she started as a sixth former and music scholar at Felsted School. She has recently graduated from Royal Holloway, University of London, and is currently studying for a Master of Music degree at Trinity College of Music. Amanda was principal horn of the Royal Holloway Symphony and Chamber orchestras from 2006 – 2009, and has been principal horn of the Essex Youth Orchestra and Essex Youth Chamber Orchestra since 2008. As a soloist Amanda has performed Haydn’s 1st Horn Concerto in D Major and Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings. She is delighted to have been asked to perform a concerto with the Essex Youth Chamber Orchestra in July 2010.

Bethany Davis writes :- I am in year 10 at Colchester County High School. I started learning the cello at school when I was seven, and began bassoon at Tendring Music School when I was nine. This September I started at the Junior Guildhall School of Music with both instruments. At school, I play cello in the orchestra and sing in the senior choir, and I have just started piano lessons. I play bassoon in Essex Young Peoples Orchestra and Essex Youth Symphonic Wind Orchestra, and sing with Essex Young Singers. I often have very busy school holidays with various music courses and tours, but I love it! I hope to study music at university, and use music in my career if at all possible.

Dominic Skingle aged 11 is from Walthamstow. He is a music scholar at Forest School, Snaresbrook where he studies jazz piano, singing and the harp. He has also just started at Junior Guildhall in London last September where he studies violin and classical piano.

Joseph Ataman aged 15 is from Brentwood. He plays piano and clarinet and at 8 years old he began 5 years as a chorister at Westminster Cathedral. In 2006 he joined the City of London School where he started to learn the organ. He is also a member of the London Youth Wind Band and is junior organ scholar at Brentwood Cathedral.

We are delighted to announce the 5 winners of our awards for 2007 made last month. Anthony Camillo an 18 year old pianist from Waltham Abbey is about to start his undergraduate studies at the Royal Northern School of Music. Oliver Farrant is a 13 year old cellist from Brentwood who is about to take up a place at Chetham’s school of music in Manchester. Timothy End is a 24 year old piano accompanist from Goodmayes who is currently taking a postgraduate performing course at the Royal Academy of Music. Elma Appasswamy is a 22 year old trumpeter from Ilford who is also currently studying for a postgraduate diploma at the Royal Academy Sophie Biebuyck is a 21 year old soprano from Brentwood who won the Essex Young Musician Award in 2006 and will thus be giving a recital for us on 15th September as part of her prize – after which the awards will be presented to all the winners. She is currently studying for a degree at Trinity College of Music.

In July we auditioned six very talented young musicians who had applied for financial help from the trust. This is always a great delight and privilege to us to hear such excellent performances and we only wish we could support all six of them.

However in the event we chose the following three:-

Dide Siemmond, an 18 year old violinist from Maldon.

Howard Hutt from Woodford Green who went to university to study music playing the trumpet, and was there
discovered to have a most impressive tenor voice – he is now going to do further study to develop this.

Richard Rayner, a 12 year old drummer from Howe Green.

Come to our Essex Young Musician 2005 Recital at Felsted on September 16th and support them when they receive their awards and keep a lookout for the concert by these three exciting young musicians for the Trust in Spring 2007

I recently had the pleasure of attending a concert given by the four winners of the 2005 Tom Acton Memorial Trust bursaries, which was held at the King Edward VI Grammar School.

In a world where children are constantly bombarded by pop music, it was an uplifting and heart-warming experience. These talented young classical musicians were brilliant. I would like to pay tribute, not only to them for their hard work and dedication, but to their parents and teachers for their love and support. We should be incredibly proud of them and I look forward to next year’s concert.

Barbara Wright (address supplied)