June Graduate of the Month

This month we are delighted to share the story of Louis, another of our first cohort of Scholars. Louis became a LMF Scholar in 2011, and throughout his four-year Scholarship he made outstanding progress. In his nomination form Louis’s music teacher described him as having “the makings of an extraordinary young musician” which Louis has certainly shown to be true. Now aged 17, he continues to amaze us!

Louis at his Graduation in 2015

Louis got off to a brilliant start as a Scholar and after only one year on the programme he was invited to join the Hackney Training Orchestra, making him the youngest person to be in the orchestra ever. He subsequently played with the Hackney CYM Advanced Brass Ensemble, which consisted of four teenagers and then 9 year old Louis! Two years into his Scholarship Louis passed his Grade 4 tenor horn exam. His teacher told us “pupils like Louis don’t come along every day and it has been fantastic to have the opportunity to build a relationship with such a talented pupil.” Louis’ reports were consistently glowing and his dedication to music was always highlighted. In recognition of his achievements during his time as a Scholar Louis was awarded an ‘Outstanding Scholar’ award at the LMF’s London Music Awards.

At the end of his four year Scholarship, Louis’ parents told us:

“Five years ago when our six year old came home from school saying he was going to learn the tenor horn, I never imagined he’d be an ‘outstanding scholar’, playing part of a Mozart concerto on the French Horn to the public by the time he was 11.  The LMF Scholarship has given a naturally musical child a wonderful musical start – it has given him the confidence to explore many different genres of music, making lots of friends along the way and to aim to be the best he can – not because he is pressured to do so but because it’s simply what he loves doing the most.”

“Music has had a massive impact on my life. It has given me a way to express myself and also a passion that I will forever carry with me.”

Louis, aged 17

Since graduating Louis has gone on to do some truly brilliant things with his music. In 2016 he played one of the Three Spirits in English National Opera’s production of ‘The Magic Flute’, performing at London’s iconic Coliseum. He has been continuing his studies at the Centre for Young Musicians on French horn, jazz trumpet, classical and jazz piano. He has also played horn in orchestras including the LSO ‘On Track’ conducted by Sir Simon Rattle and in 2020, with the LSSO. Louis is also thriving academically; he achieved an A*/9 in GCSE Music and is currently studying towards ‘A' level Music and Grade 8 on French horn and piano. We were amazed to hear he was recently made Head Boy at school too! His ambition is to get excellent grades so he can study Jazz piano at conservatoire when he leaves school and then to become, as he has always wished, a professional musician.

Louis’ determination to succeed with his music is inspiring and has led him to where he is today. We are delighted to have been a part of his development as a musician and look forward to continuing to follow his amazing journey. We asked him a few questions:

Tell us about being a London Music Fund (formerly the Mayor's Fund for Young Musicians!) Scholar. What did you get from the experience?

I got so much out of the Scholarship, it mostly gave me opportunities such as playing with the LSO. These opportunities have given me confidence and allowed me to improve from learning and playing with others. It also gave me such a strong network of musicians and friends who I am still in touch with and those links have produced more opportunities since the scholarship finished.

Tell us about your best moment(s) of being a Scholar – did you get to perform in some cool places/meet some interesting and exciting people?

My best moment was probably playing the Enigma Variations which is a heart swelling collection of movements and to play it with LSO in the main concert hall at the Barbican was a thoroughly amazing experience.

What impact, if any, has music had on your life? 

Music has had a massive impact on my life, consuming most weekends and after schools. It has given me a way to express myself and also a passion that I will forever carry with me.

Did being a London Music Fund Scholar affect your attitude to learning music? Can you tell us how?

Being a music Scholar gave me a hunger for learning music as I was offered so many opportunities to play with others and was helped by so many mentors around me.

What have you been up to recently with your music?

I have been gearing up to take exams and mostly doing a lot of listening to all kinds of music.

Any exciting plans for the next year?

I plan on preparing for and doing auditions for conservatoires all around the country and hopefully, in the summer I will be paying on the NYJC summer course. It will give me some experience playing with some people my age, which will be a nice change from not playing with anyone for a year and a half.

Where do you see yourself in the future?

In the future, I see myself doing what I love, and playing in clubs. One of my main goals is to have my own jazz club which will give me lots of challenges and would mean that I would be able to facilitate amazing music and help support the music and musicians around me.

How did your scholarship help you get where you are today?

My scholarship provided me with so many amazing opportunities and created a community of likeminded others around me. This has meant that since finishing the scholarship, I have been able to continue those relationships and gain so much from them. It also instilled a love for music in me which I carry with me to this day and always will.