Philip and Dorothy Green Young Artists scheme

The Philip and Dorothy Green Young Artists (PDGYA) scheme celebrates top young musical talent and offers them performance and workshop prospects, while making it easier for leisure-time music groups to book them.

Since its launch as a prestigious award in 1961, PDGYA has helped kick start the careers of up-and-coming artists including Steven Isserlis, Craig Ogden, Jeremy Huw Williams and Joo Yeon Sir, by providing opportunities for them to be booked by Making Music’s 4,000+ member groups. Making Music offers members subsidies to make it more affordable for them to book these artists.

Following a review, we’re delighted to re-launch PDGYA as a reimagined scheme that supports a wider range of young solo artists and ensembles and appeals to more members for bookings. As of 2023, we are pleased to partner with Royal Over-Seas League and Brighton Early Music Festival who champion young musicians nationally and globally.  

Making Music members can claim subsidies to book these Young Artists for performances and workshops. Booking deadline is 30 April 2025, and performances can take place up to 30 April 2026. Find out more and apply for a subsidy.

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2024 PDGYA artists 
 

Royal Over-Seas League soloists and ensembles:

Daffyd Jones – tenor

Photo credit: Julian Guidera

Welsh tenor Dafydd Jones is about to complete his Artist Diploma in Opera at the Royal College of Music in London under the tutelage of Nicky Spence and Caroline Dowdle. He’s the recent winner of the ROSL Vocal Section Final and was awarded the Ferrier Loveday Song Prize at the 2023 Kathleen Ferrier Finals. Future engagements see him appearing as Fenton in Verdi’s Falstaff at the Verbier Festival and then at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich where he’ll be joining as a young artist.

Follow Daffyd Jones on X (Twitter), YouTube and Instagram

Daniel Shao – flute

Photo credit: Mike Skelton

Named in Classic FM’s '30 under 30', Daniel Shao is a British-Chinese flautist acclaimed for 'virtuosity, charm, and charisma in abundance' (The Telegraph). His many awards include 1st prizes at the Royal Over-Seas League Wind Competition, British Flute Society Young Artist, Oxford Philharmonic Concerto Competition, and he was a BBC Young Musician Finalist. As a soloist, he has worked with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (UK premiere of Ma Shui-Long’s Bamboo Concerto), National Symphony Orchestra, and Czech National Symphony Orchestra.

Follow Daniel Shao on X (Twitter), YouTube and Instagram

Ignas Maknickas – piano

Ignas is a a classical concert pianist and Young Classical Artists Trust artist. At the moment he is finishing the Advanced Diploma programme at the Royal Academy of Music with professor Joanna MacGregor.

Follow Ignas Maknickas on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram

Jordan Brooks – violin

As a musician, Jordan would describe himself as being a passionate and energetic performer. He feels the most comfortable and free when he communicates with an eager and enthusiastic audience. He is constantly aiming to discover new forms of inspiration in many aspects of music and life, and finding ways to incorporate those aspects and experiences into their craft. Outside of music, some of his favorite activities include long walks, going to concerts, and dance. 

Follow Jordan Brooks on Instagram 

Apollo's Cabinet – baroque ensemble

Murder mysteries, drinking songs, European tours, and candlelit serenity all feature in the evocative and story driven programmes of Apollo’s Cabinet. The group comprises of Teresa Wrann (recorder), Thomas Pickering (harpsichord, recorder, traverso), Jonatan Bougt (theorbo, baroque guitar), Harry Buckoke (viola da gamba), David Lopez Ibanez (violin) and Daniel Watt (percussion). Winners of many international competitions like the Royal Overseas League Mixed Ensemble prize, Göttingen Händel Competition and Biber Competition, the group offer a signature mix of acting, dancing, poetry and drama to bring historical performance to modern audiences. Noteworthy performances include concerts at Bachfest Leipzig, London Händel Festival, Konzerthaus Vienna, Georgian Concert Society Edinburgh, AMUZ Antwerpen and BREMF. 

Follow Apollo's Cabinet on Instagram, YouTube and Facebook

Trio Archai – piano trio

Photo credit: Sophie Williams

Founded in Basel, Switzerland, Trio Archai are rapidly building momentum as an emerging young trio, made up of members Mar Valor Navarro (piano), Ayla Şahin (violin) and Finn Mannion (cello). In March 2024, Trio Archai won First Prize at the 72nd Royal Over-Seas League Competition, and in 2023 they were prizewinners at the Orpheus Swiss Chamber Music Competition. Upcoming engagements include performances at Wigmore Hall, Swiss Chamber Music Festival and Schaffhausen Klassik. In a bid to attract diverse audiences, the trio prioritises performing a wide variety of repertoire and curating innovative concert programs.

Follow Trio Archai on Instagram

 

Brighton Early Music Festival ensembles:

Bellot Ensemble – Early Music ensemble

Photo credit: Olivia Da Costa

Bellot Ensemble is an Early Music ensemble, with the core team comprised of members Lucine Musaelian (soprano, viola da gamba), Edmund Taylor (violin), Olivia Petryszak (recorder), Chris McClain (violin, viola), Pablo Tejedor-Gutierrez (cello), Danny Murphy (theorbo) and Mathew Brown (keyboard). As a group they pride themselves on the energy and passion they give with every performance along with their style-specific improvisations. The ensemble specialises in 16th and 17th century repertoire with research into written divisions and the contextual texts of the time. This practical research is greatly influenced by their working with talented singers in regular collaborations with consorts, choirs and opera societies.

Follow Bellot Ensemble on X (Twitter), Facebook, Instagram and Youtube

Música d’Outrora – Early Music quartet

Música d'Outrora, a versatile four-piece chamber ensemble, focuses on exploring and reviving 17th century Italian Baroque music, especially the trio sonata genre. Members Christi Park (baroque violin), Timothy Lin (viola da gamba, violoncello, baroque cello), Pablo Devigo (harpsichord, chamber organ) and Louis Moisan (theorbo, baroque guitar) bring diverse expertise, from violin pedagogy to French baroque notation. Since 2022, they've gained recognition by securing grants from the Continuo Foundation for a 2023 concert tour and a 2024 album recording. Engaged in prestigious programmes like the Brighton Early Music Festival Young Artists scheme, New Generation Baroque Ensemble Masterclass and Gli Incogniti Academy, they benefit from coaching by historical performance experts and are committed to performances as well as educational outreach.

Follow Música d'Outrora on Instagram

The Portrait Players – trio

Described as 'beguiling', The Portrait Players formed at the end of 2022 for a concert of Händel’s Cantatas and German Arias, with members Miri Nohl (cello, viols), Kristiina Watt (theorbo, lutes, guitar) and Claire Ward (soprano). Since then the ensemble continues to grow in popularity and performs regularly across the UK. The trio curate programmes which make historical performance relevant and inspiring to modern audiences, drawing on stories of historical and fictional characters, and the informality of the 17th century salon culture.

Follow The Portrait Players on X (Twitter), Facebook and Instagram

Previous PDG Young Artists