Scottish accordionist Ryan Corbett, winner of the 2021 ROSL Annual Music Competition Gold Medal has been appointed to the BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists Scheme for 2022-2024.
Ryan Corbett won the 2021 ROSL Annual Music Competition Gold Medal final in November last year, as part of the celebrations of winning the ROSL AMC Gold Medal, he was invited to play his winning programme on BBC Radio 3's InTune with Sean Rafferty. After clearly impressing with his powerful performance of Scarlatti, F. Angelis and V. Semyonov at the BBC as well as the many impressive engagements he has racked up since his win, he has been selected to be a part of the BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists Scheme from 2022 - 2024.
The BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists Scheme helps to support young musicians on the threshold of an international career to reach the next stage of their development. It brings some of the world’s most promising new talent to listeners across the UK through BBC Radio 3 broadcasts.
Ryan after his performance on InTune in November 2021
Ryan Corbett is a classical accordionist in his final year of study at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Previously, he studied at the Music School of Douglas Academy (Milngavie) and St Mary’s Music School (Edinburgh). Ryan began playing accordion aged eleven and was self-taught until he started learning with Djordje Gajic at the age of fourteen.
Awards include the Allie Cullen Prize for most outstanding performance at the Glasgow Music Festival, the Directors' Recital Prize at St Mary's Music School, second prize at the International Accordion Festival in San Vincenzo (Italy), third prize at the Akkordeonwettbewerb in Klingenthal (Germany), and third prize at the Harbin International Accordion Art Week (China) where he was the youngest competitor to be placed. In 2021 Ryan was awarded the Keyboard Prize, First Prize and Gold Medal at the Royal Over Seas League Annual Music Competition, becoming the first accordionist to win the Gold Medal since 1993. In 2022 Ryan was selected as a Tillet Trust Debut scheme artist.
Ryan has given solo concerts at the Berlin Philharmonie, Jesus-Christus-Kirche Dahlem, University of Glasgow, Perth Concert Hall, Edinburgh Festival and Edinbach Festival. He performed an all-Baroque programme at Bachcelona Festival and gave two concerts in this year’s Lammermuir Festival. His experience as a concerto soloist includes performing Václav Trojan’s ‘Fairytales’ concerto at the Queen's Hall, St Mary’s Cathedral, and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. This year he recorded Bach’s fourth keyboard concerto with the Berliner Symphoniker as part of the Piazzolla centenary celebrations and he looks forward to performing as a soloist with the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland in June 2022.
As an avid chamber musician, Ryan has been invited to play with Red Note Ensemble, Hebrides Ensemble, and the Maxwell Quartet. He has also performed at private events for Sir Jackie Stewart and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. In 2021 he formed an accordion duo with Djordje Gajic; its repertoire features an arrangement of Stravinsky's ballet 'Petrushka' and Ryan's own arrangement of Bach Prelude and Fugue in Eb ‘St Anne’ which was described as "musically unified and utterly compelling" (Seen and Heard International). He also arranged Rameau’s ‘Entrée de Polymnie’ from ‘Les Boréades’ for three accordions which was performed at the Conservatoires UK Biennial Conference and for HRH the Prince of Wales during his official visit to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
Ryan plays a Bayan Spectrum classical accordion made by Bugari Armando in Castelfidardo, Italy. This was made possible by the generous support of private sponsors, the John Mather Trust, and Dewar Arts Awards.
You can watch Ryan's Gold Medal winning performance here:
