Flax Trust presented £5000 in bursaries to two young classical musicians at Queen’s University School of the Arts.

Daniel has recently concluded his studies at Queen’s University Belfast, where for the past three years he has studied cornet and trumpet under the tutelage of Paul Young (Principal Trumpet of Ulster Orchestra.) During his time at university, Daniel was also a member of the Queen’s Brass Band and Queen’s Symphony Orchestra. Outside of university, Daniel has been the Principal Cornet of Murley Silver Band for four years, with whom he represented Northern Ireland in the European Brass Band Championships in Lille.  Daniel has recently accepted an offer to study for an MMus in Performance at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. While studying there. The Flax Trust Bursary will enable Daniel to have the opportunity to be tutored by Nigel Boddice, Mark O’Keefe and John Gracie: this will help him in his move into life as a professional classical musician.

Under the tutelage of Karen Shannon, Bethany developed a keen interest in performance at a young age. During her time at Queen’s University, whilst studying with Paul Schumann, she has been recognised for her efforts in clarinet performance and was awarded the Hamilton Harty scholarship, allowing her to travel to the Belgian Clarinet Academy in 2014, and has most recently been awarded the Hamilton Harty scholarship again to take part in a masterclass course in Belgium with Annelien Van Wauwe. Bethany has also taken part in various masterclasses and lessons with esteemed clarinetists during her time at Queen’s, including Michael Collins and Emil Jonason. Outside of solo performance, she is a member of the Ulster Youth Orchestra and Northern Ireland Concert Band. The Flax Trust Bursary will enable Bethany to further her studies in the field of clarinet performance at Antwerp Conservatoire.

L-R Fr Myles Kavanagh, Norma Sinte, Megan Mooney, Pedro Rebelo, Peter Smith, Sr Mary Turley, John Patterson, Bethany Simpson, Daniel Rolston, Paul McBride & James Maginn