Wolfson Foundation celebrates 30 years of supporting access to music education

The philanthropic charity, the Wolfson Foundation, is celebrating 30 years of its music education programme which has awarded £5.6 million to young musicians at the UK’s conservatoires to help individuals from all backgrounds to access high quality music education.

The funding comes at a time when music education in schools is under significant pressure.

The Wolfson Music Awards, set up in 1989, has two elements, both designed to support talented students from less affluent backgrounds: scholarships for secondary school-age musicians in junior departments of conservatoires, and grants to help outstanding undergraduates purchase their own instruments.

Nine conservatoires across the UK – seven in England,  one in Scotland and one in Wales – have each just been awarded £90,000 over 3 years, totalling £810,000 to continue the programme.

Conservatoires select recipients on the basis of their exceptional musical ability and financial need, and those who receive awards have demonstrated an aptitude for performing at the highest level.  Individuals supported by the Foundation include Jess Gillam who made history as the first ever saxophonist to reach the Final of BBC Young Musician of the Year in 2016, and who became the youngest female soloist ever to close the Last Night of the Proms in 2018.

At Guildhall, over 70 musicians have benefitted from Instrument awards, across Strings and Wind, Brass & Percussion, including alumni Ian Wilson (recorders) and James Burke (clarinet). The support of the Wolfson Foundation has also enabled hundreds of young musicians under the age of 18 to attend Junior Guildhall and benefit from the advanced training it offers each Saturday during the academic year. Musicians who have benefitted from Wolfson Foundation support to attend Junior Guildhall include Gold Medal winner Oliver Wass (harp) and Tom Poster (piano).

Paul Ramsbottom, Chief Executive of the Wolfson Foundation said, “The Wolfson Foundation is a charity that funds across education. Although perhaps best known as a science funder, we place great emphasis on research and education across a broadly based curriculum. We very much value our longstanding relationship with music conservatoires and share their concern that access to high quality music education should be available to all. It would be a tragedy if this education was simply the preserve of the privileged in our society.”