Richard Turner Jazz Fund awarded to gifted young guitarist Stan Brunt

The Richard Turner Jazz Fund was set up in memory of the gifted young trumpet player, Richard Turner, who passed away suddenly in August 2011, with the fund intended to support an undergraduate jazz student annually at the Royal Academy of Music. The fund is available for a £1,100 award to a deserving young musician, ideally with connections to Leeds and/or Yorkshire. The criteria of awarding is designed to be flexible enough to offer financial assistance in the specific area it is needed for that student; whether that be for a new instrument, or the cost of study/living etc.

In this tenth year anniversary since Richard’s passing, this is the final year that the Richard Turner award will be presented, the winner was selected by a panel consisting of Richard's family and colleagues, and the Academy's Head of Jazz, Nick Smart.

The recipient of the award is the talented guitarist and composer Stan Brunt, currently in his second year of the BMus Jazz Programme. Richard’s mum, Christine said, “As always, I enjoyed reading the applications and wish all of the talented young jazz musicians every success. In Stan we have a very worthy recipient of the award in its closing year. I wish him success and fulfilment in the rest of his time at the Academy. I and Richard’s family have been deeply touched by the love and affection Richard’s friends and colleagues have shown in his memory, not least in raising the funds which have enabled us over the last few years to help young jazz students. We would also like to thank the Royal Academy of Music, Nick Smart and Richard’s friends for all their work in administering this award over the years.”

Commenting on receiving the award, Stan Brunt said: “I’m incredibly proud to have been awarded the Richard Turner Award and it’s especially meaningful for me because Richard came from a similar area in Leeds to me and my Yorkshire roots are very important to me. I’ll be using the money to fund a new guitar; this will enable me to get closer to the sound I hear in my head but haven’t quite been able to achieve on my current instrument. I’m very grateful to Richard’s family for the opportunity and hope they’ll be able to hear me play at a gig in Leeds someday.”

For more info visit www.ram.ac.uk/study/