Recipient Profile

I have lived in Devon for most of my live and during this time have been lucky enough to be involved in the very active music scene across the county, learning and playing with some wonderful musicians and mentors.

I started playing the piano aged 7 and cello aged 10 (quite a late starter!), when we lived in Essex. My first orchestral experiences included playing in the Harlow Youth Orchestra workshops, tutored by the Alberni Quartet. My parents, whose extraordinary support played a crucial part in my musical achievements, moved to Devon in 1983 and during the following years my teachers included Dulce Haigh Marshall, Michael Evans (cello) and John Bryden (piano). I also played regularly with a number of local groups including the Devon Youth Orchestra and the then newly formed Devon Cello Ensemble, founded by Naomi Butterworth and Anthony Le Fleming.

It was during this time that I was lucky enough to have been made an award by the Dulce Haigh Marshall Trust to enable me to continue my studies.

I spent two wonderful years studying and enjoying a great variety of music making and the fantastic environment at Dartington College of Arts, before heading off to the University of Surrey in Guildford to study for my BMus degree in music. Performance was a significant part of the course and I performed many recitals, on cello and piano, as well as playing in various chamber groups, leading the ‘cello section of the University of Surrey Symphony Orchestra for the three years that I was there.

I have continued to play and perform with many local groups, including the Amanti Ensemble (soprano and string quartet), Abbas Music Group, various string ensembles and the Dartington Festival Orchestra at the Dartington International Summer School.  I have joined the Sinfonia of Birmingham in their tours to Tuscany and Holland, and very much enjoyed the varied orchestral repertoire, as principal cellist with the Plymouth Symphony Orchestra.

Although I did not pursue music as a career, it has always been and still is, an important and significant part of my life. I was very fortunate to have been taught by Dulce and the support that the Trust gave me enabled me to continue to develop my playing to a high standard and to have enjoyed many years of rewarding music making.

Emma Batley