Young alto sax player receives talented musicians’ award

Talented local young musician Norman Willmore has recently been awarded a grant from Awards for Young People.

He was among 90 young people throughout Britain to be selected for the award, which is granted to exceptionally talented young musicians.

Norman, 15, has played alto sax for three years. He regularly plays at events around Shetland with his band, Norman and the Folding Deckchairs, but also plays with other bands, and occasionally, solo gigs.

This is the second year running that Norman has won the award. He said: “It’s a real privilege that I’ve won it twice in a row and I hope to keep on receiving it.”

AYM’s annual awards programme gives grants of up to £2,000 each year to outstanding young musicians between the ages of five and 17.

The funding can be used to support music making in any genre and help with the costs of buying instruments, music lessons, course fees and travel.

AYM director Hester Cockroft said: “Once more we’ve had a very high number of applications for support this year from some incredibly talented young people so Norman should be very proud of his achievement in gaining an award.

“Every young person deserves the chance to find their talent and fulfil their potential: for these young people that talent is music and we hope our support will help them embark on a lifetime of musical discovery and achievement.”