Teen in tune for music awards

A teenager who recently received a scholarship to study music at a university in London will be this year’s recipient of Southwell Choral Society’s bursary award and the Peggy Oldham Award.

Sam Freeman (17) of Station Road, Southwell, is studying for A-levels in music, English and politics at the Minster School in the town.

He was a chorister at Southwell Minster.

He now plays the bass trombone and is a member of Nottingham Youth Orchestra and the East Midlands Jazz Orchestra.

He will begin his studies at the Royal Academy of Music, London, in September.

Sam was picked as the winner of the bursary and the Peggy Oldham Award by a panel made up of members of the choral society.

He will receive the £250 bursary and £250 for the Peggy Oldham Award.

She was a member of Southwell Choral Society for 30 years. She died in June 2004.

The awards are presented to a musician under the age of 25 with the aim of helping them to develop a career in music.

They can be presented separately or as a combined award.

A member of the choral society on the judging panel for the awards was Mrs Thelma Clark of Beaumont Avenue, Southwell.

She said once they had picked six finalists they found it difficult to choose an overall winner.

Sam said he was pleased to have won the awards and would be putting the money towards buying his own bass trombone.

He said: “I’m going off to university soon and I don’t have my own instrument because the one I play at the moment was loaned to me by one of the orchestras I play for and when I leave I will have to give it back.

“Having the awards is a brilliant idea because I think sometimes people fail to understand that musical instruments can be really expensive.”

Sam’s brother, Luke Freeman (20) who is studying music at the London Guildhall School of Music and Dance was the first recipient of the bursary in 2006.

Sam will receive his bursary at the society’s concert on June 21 when he will perform.