A love story that spans cultures and a shared passion for music and the arts lies at the heart of the Tony and Tania Music Prize at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS).

Established by the late Tony and Tania Webster, the annual award for piano and voice returns to RCS on Tuesday 14 January for a three-hour showcase that shines a spotlight on Russian song.

The RCS Tony and Tania Music Prize provides a platform for emerging artists to excel. For their daughter, Tamara Schellander, it’s more than a competition – it celebrates her parents’ belief in the transformative power of music and nurtures the next generation of musical talent.

Tamara said: “My parents’ love of Scotland and music drew them to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Carrying on this legacy has shown me what a wonderful environment this this world-class conservatoire is for these talented young musicians coming here from all over the world.”

This year, four students will take part in the prize in RCS’s Ledger Recital Room, which will be adjudicated by RCS graduate and Russian award-winning baritone Alexey Gusev. The students are:

• Luca-Zsuzsana Cerveni, soprano (accompanied by Max McWhirter)
• Anna Marmion, soprano (accompanied by Valeri Ayvazyan)
• Mariana Rybakova Crespo Da Silva, soprano (accompanied by Max McWhirter)
• Alex White, bass (accompanied by Elina Purina)

In 2024, Pianist Alexandru Plăcintă won the prize and was highly praised by the adjudicator, renowned pianist Hiroaki Takenouchi, for a performance of an Anatoly Alexandrov sonata.

“Receiving this award was a significant boost to my confidence and served as a validation of the hard work and knowledge I have been fortunate to receive from my teachers, Sinae Lee and Aaron Shorr, for which I will always be deeply grateful,” said Alexandru, who is currently studying on the Master of Music (Performance) programme.

Alexandru believes competitions offer students a vital opportunity for career development.

“Beyond the financial benefits and recognition from both audiences and professional adjudicators, the most significant outcomes for students in these contexts are the sense of excitement and the crucial professional growth that can only be attained through the competitive experience.”

The RCS Tony and Tania Music Prize, which alternates each year between voice and piano, sees musicians perform works often from rarely heard composers from the Russian repertoire.

The prize not only celebrates Russia’s contribution to music and the arts but also pays tribute to Tania’s Russian roots.

Tony and Tania Webster’s journey began in vastly different cultural backgrounds. Tania was born in Iasi in Eastern Romania to a Romanian mother and Russian father who had left Russia and fled to Romania during the revolution.

The family later moved to Italy where Tania studied painting and music in Venice. Tony however was born in Aberdeen to a family who owned a typewriter business.

He was a keen pianist and music lover. He was conscripted into the army which took him to India, Pakistan, Egypt and finally Greece at the end of WW2.

The young couple met through family in Greece and following an international courtship, they married in Aberdeen where they raised their family – Tamara and her brother Boris – in a home filled with music.

Tony and Tamara both played the piano, Tania took up the clarinet and Boris played the cello.

In 1994, for Tania’s 70th birthday, Tony and Tamara organised a surprise trip to St Petersburg, Tania’s father’s birth city: “This was the first time Tania set foot on Russian soil and it proved to be a major catalyst in her search for her roots,” said Tamara.

“My mother threw herself into learning Russian and became passionate about all things Russian (except politics!) and, of course, particularly music.”

Following Tony’s death in 2001, Tania’s journey in music continued and she forged the connection with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Tania passed away in 2022 at the age of 98 and her daughter Tamara has taken up the torch.

The RCS Tony and Tania Music Prize Concert takes place from 2pm on Tuesday 14 January. Book tickets, priced £4-5, at the RCS Box Office.