Dr Linda Patterson Awards

We’re delighted to launch these new Awards in 2021.

“I come from a very ordinary background. I was the first person in my family to go to university. I entered medical school and I have had a busy medical career as a doctor, working as a hospital consultant. I also had various leadership roles in medicine, being Medical Director of the Quality Regulator for the NHS In England and Wales, and then Vice President of the Royal College of Physicians.

“The reason I wanted to donate the bursary to support young people to pursue their musical aspirations is because I was supported when I was young. I played the piano, having lessons with a local teacher until I was 9.  I then won a scholarship from the local Authority in Liverpool which paid for lessons with good teachers, which my family would never have been able to afford. I had the scholarship until aged 18, with mandatory lessons in Harmony and Counterpoint as well as piano, and the opportunity to play my second instrument, the violin, in the City Youth Orchestra – though I had very little talent as a violinist! It is amazing to think now of the local Council giving such support for a musical education to young people -individual scholarships, choirs and musical events across the city.

“A busy medical career meant I left the piano alone for about 20 years until I returned to lessons. That was a struggle, but I had had a good grounding so was able to make some progress.

“I have since found a lot of joy in piano playing, and music in general. I still have lessons and I have been regularly to a piano Summer school in France, where a mix of amateurs and conservatoire level players work intensively for a week. Being able to be in that ambience has helped my own playing, but more importantly how I listen.

“I chair the Hebden Bridge piano festival in West Yorkshire which has been running since 2013. This is a showcase for all things piano –  international performers ,local pianists, jazz, master classes and children’s events

“I am aware what a gift music can be in your life, and I want to share some of that with a younger generation, to help them make their own discoveries.

 Dr Linda Patterson OBE FRCP