The substantial award will cover full fees for a young singer or pianist, educated in a UK state school, to attend the course each year.
Previous recipients of the prize:
2025 Mollie Quinn
Mollie is a 20-year-old Scottish Mezzo in her third year of undergraduate studies at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. She was selected to represent the RCS at the Junior Ferrier Competition and is under the tutelage of Wilma MacDougall.
Mollie is hugely grateful to be attending Oxenfoord and to have received this award!
Some recent highlights include: ‘Third Boy’ in the Alexander Gibson Opera School production of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute”. Alto soloist in Mozart’s Requiem with Paisley Philharmonic Choir, conducted by Derrick Morgan, and in Bach’s “St John Passion” at Glasgow Cathedral, conducted by David Watkin.
2024 Haydn Cullen
2023 Eyra Norman
2022 Oliver Joseph
2021 Theo Perry (attended in 2022 due to pandemic cancellation)
2020 Leah Redmond (attended in 2022 due to pandemic cancellation)
2019 Edward Jowle
The McDowell Family Award is a prize generously donated by Elizabeth McDowell in memory of her grandmother, father and uncle; celebrated musicians who performed and recorded across Northern Ireland, Cardiff and the Westcountry and who so inspired her and her twin brother in their own musical endeavours.
