This year's RPS Young Musicians Programme brings support and opportunities to budding musicians when they need it most. The support awarded includes 13 commissions for young composers, rare opportunities for further study abroad and recognition for two outstanding chamber ensembles and a young violinist. £20,000 has been made available to enable music students in financial need to purchase much needed quality instruments.

Meet our young musicians

Most recent awards include:

Composers

£28,000 has been awarded to commission and support the work of 13 emerging composers

The RPS Composition Prizes have been awarded to 6 emerging composers, commissioning new works to be premiered in summer and autumn 2018. The winners are: Eugene Birman, Austin Leung and Freya Waley-Cohen, who will write for Philharmonia Orchestra's Music of Today programme, Bethan Morgan-Williams andEmmanuel Charalabopoulos, commissioned to write chamber works for 2018 Cheltenham and Presteigne Festivals respectively, andLaurence Osborn, commissioned to write a piece for Music in the Round, Sheffield.

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In celebration of Classic FM's 25th Birthday, the RPS have commissioned 7 new works from young composers, all younger that the station itself. Their pieces are to be performed all over the UK during the summer and autumn 2017. The winners are Jack Pepper, Marco Galvani, Dani Howard, Alexia Sloane,Benjamin Rimmer, Alex Woolf and Oliver Muxworthy.

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Study Abroad

£30,500 has been awarded for study abroad

RPS Julius Isserlis Scholarship enables outstanding young musicians to study with the finest teachers worldwide. This year, the scholarship is enabling two musicians to complete their studies in Holland and Switzerland. 19 year old percussionist Tom Pritchard from West Yorkshire will be supported to complete a Bachelors degree at the Conservatorium Van Amsterdam and 24 year old harpist Richard Allen from County Antrim will continue his Masters studies with Letizia Belmondo at the Haute École de Musique in Lausanne.

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Instrument Purchase

£20,000 has been awarded to help students fund professional quality instruments

The RPS understands that many students are inhibited in their studies by a lack of access to professional quality instruments, therefore, the RPS Insrtument Purchase Grantsoffer financial support to students looking purchase suitable instruments of professional quality. This year, the Young Musicians Programme will help towards the purchase of instruments for 14 music students from seven conservatoires nationwide. Instruments include clarinets, trumpets, bassoons, bass trombone, two French horns, an oboe, baritone saxophone, piccolo, classical guitar and a baroque alto recorder.

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Instrumentalists and Ensembles

The RPS awards 3 prizes to support emerging instrumentalists and ensembles. TheRPS Albert and Eugenie Frost Prize is given to a string ensemble, either trio or quartet, to develop their performance opportunities. This year the £5,000 prize has been awarded to theMarmen String Quartet. This year a new award of £5,000 has been set up for an ensemble of any instrumentation with 3 - 10 players. The RPS Henderson Chamber Ensemble Awardsupports an emerging ensemble to further their performance opportunities and this year has been awarded to thePelléas Emsemble. Additionally, 26 year old Dutch violinist Amarins Wierdsma has been selected as the winner of the £2,500 RPS Emily Anderson Prize for violinists, 50 years after the first prize was awarded in 1967.