11 year old trombone player Rhiannon Symonds from Monmouth is among 65 outstanding young people to gain an Awards for Young Musicians.

Award

The Awards Programme gives grants of up to £2,000 each year to exceptionally talented young musicians aged between 5 and 18. The funding can be used to support music making in any genre, helping with costs such as buying an instrument, music lessons, course fees and travel.

Just 3 years

Rhiannon, a year 7 pupil at Haberdasher’s Monmouth School for Girls has been playing the trombone for just 3 years.

She passed her Grade 8 Trombone exam with Distinction in March this year and plans to use the award to further her studies with her teacher Johanna Hirst from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

We had a huge number of applications for support this year and so Rhiannon should be very proud of the achievementHester Cockcroft

Proud

Hester Cockcroft, AYM's Director told 4BR: "We had a huge number of applications for support this year and so Rhiannon should be very proud of the achievement in gaining an award. Music is central to most people's lives and talented young people like Rhiannon live and breathe music. We're here to help them fulfil their potential and invest in all our musical futures."

Busy girl

Rhiannon lives in Yorkley in the Forest of Dean and is a busy girl — she is Principal Trombone of the National Children’s Wind Orchestra of Great Britain and the Forest of Dean Area Youth Brass Band.

Rhiannon is also a member of the National Children’s Brass Band of Great Britain and Greater Gwent Youth Symphonic Winds and Greater Gwent Youth Brass Band.