It’s a startling fact that many music students are embarking on their professional training without an instrument worthy of their talents. Too often students are held back by the limitations of their instruments, hugely impacting their progress. 

Each year, we provide RPS Instrument Purchase Grants to young musicians who have succeeded in attaining a place at music college but don’t own an adequate instrument. Unlike many schemes, this is not a loan: it’s a grant that we do not expect to be repaid, recognising the many financial challenges that young musicians face. We established this support some decades ago thanks to the Sir John Barbirolli Memorial Foundation, established in tribute to the renowned conductor and RPS Gold Medal recipient. Today, we continue to draw on this fund for such a worthwhile purpose, and are grateful for further support from the Lennox Hannay Charitable Trust, 29th May Charitable Trust, Andor Charitable Trust, Thistle Charitable Trust, the Kirby Laing Foundation, an anonymous donor, and RPS Members.

This year’s recipients are as follows. Click on each name to find out more about their musical progress and how the RPS is helping them.

Adi Grant tuba 
Amber Martyniak trombone
Cerys Beddows A clarinet
Darcie Tanner accordion
Deadiamante Alfano saxophone
Dylan Biddle drum kit
Edmund Tyler trumpet
Ellie Dierckx horn
Elinor Mason snare drum
Evangelina Terris classical guitar
Isabella Rose cello bow
Jack Izard snare drum
Kara Woods saxophone
Kelan Koenig drum kit
Kenza Stamselberg violin bow
Lou Grüne-Yanoff oboe
Markos Hayes A clarinet
Matthew Rankin snare drum
Oliver Brown cor anglais
Oliver Jackson congas
Reuben McFarlane trombone
Seren Kapur cello
Taran McNeil clarinet mouthpiece and ligature

Applications for these grants are – in accordance with the original wishes of the Barbirolli Foundation – for first-year undergraduates and coordinated with each of the UK classical music colleges / conservatoires. Further information about the grants and eligibility to apply can be found on our website here.

Classical musicians often have international careers and students can benefit hugely from time spent studying abroad, taking lessons from globally renowned professors and drawing inspiration from different cultures. The RPS Isserlis Scholarship offers students the life-changing opportunity to study abroad, be it fulfilling a course at an international music school or university, taking lessons from a specialist based overseas or taking part in a specialist festival. Musicians who have previously benefitted include the celebrated pianist Sir Stephen Hough when he was just 19, enabling him to study at The Juilliard School in New York, and Imogen Whitehead, who was recently appointed Principal Trumpet of Britten Sinfonia.

The RPS Isserlis Scholarship is made possible thanks to funds generously bequeathed to the RPS by Cecilia Helen Northcote some decades ago. At her wish, the scholarship is dedicated to the inspirational Russian pianist, composer and teacher Julius Isserlis.

Among this year's recipients is Sinéad Walsh, who will use her scholarship to study with renowned flute and piccolo professors Aldo Baerton and Peter Verstappen in Antwerp. She said ‘I am incredibly grateful to have received the RPS Isserlis Scholarship, which will enable me to continue to develop my musicianship, creative practice, and career. I intend to take private lessons with two exceptional flautists: Aldo Baerten, Principal Flute of the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, and Peter Verhoyen, Principal Piccolo of the same orchestra. I am hugely inspired by both of these teachers and already have been fortunate enough to perform to Peter twice in masterclasses during my studies in Manchester and London. I believe that further study with them will refine, enhance, and propel forward my flute and piccolo playing. Studying in a new city offers a fresh energy, renewed inspiration, and I plan to make the very best of this opportunity!’

The 2025 RPS Isserlis Scholarship recipients are as follows. Click on each name to find out more about their musical experience and to find out more about how RPS is helping them study abroad.

Sinéad Walsh to study flute and piccolo with Aldo Baerten and Peter Verhoyen in Antwerp
Finn Anderson-Hendra to study cello as a Scandinavian Cello School Young Artist
Lily Payne to study clarinet at Lubeck Academy of Music
Amelia Lewis to study trombone at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien, Hannover 
Michelle Hromin to study clarinet at the Darmstadt Summer Course
Harvey Jones to study oboe at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Cologne

Applications for the next round of RPS Julius Isserlis Scholarships will be announced in November 2025 on our website.

The Royal Philharmonic Society – a registered charity – has been at the heart of music for over 200 years, creating opportunities for musicians to excel, and championing the vital role that music plays in all our lives. Through our programme of grants, commissions, professional development and performance opportunities, we help many performers and composers overcome barriers to progress and fulfil their potential. Through the annual RPS Awards – described this year by The Sunday Times as ‘the biggest night in UK classical music’ – we celebrate musical accomplishments UK-wide and tell a vital story of what music-makers do for the benefit of others. Through RPS Membership and our new talks and events, we aim to cultivate greater pride and curiosity in classical music. Through all our endeavours, we are dedicated to proving classical music’s rightful and powerful place in society.

If you are moved by their stories, we invite you to consider becoming an RPS Member yourself. With a charitable gesture as little as £5 a month, you can play a proud part in helping more bright young talents to fulfil their calling. Discover more about RPS Membership and how to get involved here on our website.