Leeds-raised guitarist Stan Brunt, it is announced today, becomes the eighth and final winner of the Richard Turner Prize at the Royal Academy of Music.
FULL TEXT OF THE RAM PRESS RELEASE:
The Royal Academy of Music is pleased to announce the recipient of the 2021 ‘Richard Turner Jazz Fund’, the eighth and final recipient of this prestigious award.
The Richard Turner Jazz Fund is to support an undergraduate jazz student annually at the Royal Academy of Music. Set up in memory of the gifted young trumpet player who passed away suddenly in August 2011, the fund is available for a £1,100 award to a deserving young musician, ideally with connections to Leeds and/or Yorkshire. The criteria of awarding is designed to be flexible enough to offer financial assistance in the specific area it is needed for that student; whether that be for a new instrument, or the cost of study/living etc.
In this tenth year anniversary since Richard’s passing, this is the final year that the Richard Turner award will be presented.
FULL LIST OF WINNERS:
2013 – Alex Davis
2014 – Tom McCredie
2015 – Greg Barker
2016 – Tom Ridout
2017 – Billy Marrows
2018 – Jonny Mansfield
2019 – Alex Bone
2021 – Stan Brunt
A panel consisting of Richard’s family and colleagues, and the Academy’s Head of Jazz, convened in November to decide on the 2021 recipient, following written applications submitted in January. We are pleased to announce that the eighth recipient of the award is the talented guitarist and composer Stan Brunt, currently in his second year of the BMus Jazz Programme.
Richard Turner’s Mum, Christine said: “As always, I enjoyed reading the applications and wish all of the talented young jazz musicians every success. In Stan we have a very worthy recipient of the award in its closing year. I wish him success and fulfilment in the rest of his time at the Academy. I and Richard’s family have been deeply touched by the love and affection Richard’s friends and colleagues have shown in his memory, not least in raising the funds which have enabled us over the last few years to help young jazz students. We would also like to thank the Royal Academy of Music, Nick Smart and Richard’s friends for all their work in administering this award over the years.”
Stan Brunt writes: “I am currently in my second year at the Royal Academy of Music, studying Jazz Guitar. I was born and raised in Leeds and started playing guitar when I was 7. I had weekly lessons, playing the usual Led Zeppelin and Arctic Monkeys riffs. When I was 13, I started at the Leeds Conservatoire Saturday School and started practising more seriously, expanding what I was playing and making some great connections in the music scene. I joined a local band, the Chapel FM Jazz Collective, started to do gigs around Leeds and Yorkshire and became more interested in jazz. I changed to a specialist jazz teacher and, whilst studying for my A levels, started to consider studying at a conservatoire as a post-18 option.
“Having come to jazz relatively late and studying at a comprehensive school, I was amazed and excited to be offered the opportunity to study at the Royal Academy. It has been a fantastic experience so far. Moving to London was a big step for me and it has been great to get to know a city with such a thriving music scene and amazing musicians. I am looking forward to what will come in the future through RAM and also my own projects.
“I’m incredibly proud to have been awarded the Richard Turner Award and it’s especially meaningful for me because Richard came from a similar area in Leeds to me and my Yorkshire roots are very important to me. I’ll be using the money to fund a new guitar; this will enable me to get closer to the sound I hear in my head but haven’t quite been able to achieve on my current instrument. I’m very grateful to Richard’s family for the opportunity and hope they’ll be able to hear me play at a gig in Leeds some day.”
PRESS RELEASE ENDS
