Celebrating Bristol’s Next Generation: Young Musicians Honoured at 2026 Guild of Guardians Awards

Bristol Beacon News

Tuesday 28 Apr 2026

Five talented young musicians performed at a special event on 27 April celebrating their achievements. Each received an award and prize from the Lord Mayor of Bristol and the Guild of Guardians to support their musical journeys.

Selected by Bristol Beacon for their contribution to music in the city, the performers took to the stage in Lantern Hall in front of friends, family and the Guild of Guardians community.

As Bristol’s Music Education Hub, we are proud to recognise these exceptional young people, who are exemplary members of our ensembles. We look forward to this event every year, as it offers a chance to celebrate the phenomenal talent emerging from Bristol’s next generation of musicians. Each award recipient is an active participant in Bristol Beacon ensembles and was chosen on behalf of the Guild of Guardians in recognition of their outstanding contribution to music in the city, alongside receiving prize money to further support their development.

In Medieval times Bristol retained the services of four entertainers who performed on civic occasions. By 1540 they were officially known as the “City Waits”, and the name is presumed to come from the ‘wait-pipe’ which was an early form of oboe.

The office of City Waits was revived in 1988 by the Guild of Guardians – a charity that aims to improve the quality of the civic life of Bristol – with the musical history now reflected in these awards.

Many previous recipients of these awards from the Guild of Guardians have gone on to become professional musicians, using their prize money to buy new instruments and support their musical activity.

Header image L-R: Edward Corrigan (president of Bristol Guild of Guardians), Haydn Chan, Jana Wong, Natanael Moss, Austin Roberts, Lilly Schutt, Rt Hon. Lord Mayor Cllr. Henry Michallat

The City Waits are a unique opportunity to celebrate an historic Bristol tradition and the musical talents of young people across the city. It was a superb evening at the Beacon with wide range of musical genres performed and one which the Guild of Guardians is so pleased to support.”

Edward Corrigan, President, Guild of Guardians

Award for Musical Potential

Three young people received certificates and a £400 award to support their musical activity for their dedication to music in the city.

Haydn Chan, Violin. Haydn has performed and won prizes at multiple regional festivals, holds the position of concertmaster in his school’s orchestra, and last year was very happy to be accepted into Bristol Youth Orchestra. He’s attained distinctions in his grade 4 and 6 exams and is now working towards his grade 8 this summer, all before even starting GCSE Music, which he intends to do in September. Haydn has said that as well as allowing him to express himself, playing his instrument enables him to connect with audiences and other musicians in a truly meaningful way. He intends to put the prize winnings he is receiving as part of this award towards a new violin, which will elevate his orchestral playing even further.

Austin Roberts, Music Producer. Austin is an electronic music producer and composer with a developed range of musical styles and interests. Having played guitar, bass, drums, and ukulele previously, he was inspired to save up his money for a computer and other equipment to start composing electronic music upon hearing New Order’s Blue Monday for the first time. He cites Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, and Boards of Canada and the genres Jungle, IDM, & ambient music as some of his key influences, and has over time built an extensive portfolio of compositions. As well as making music at home, Austin has been coming to Bristol Youth Studios. He has a provisional place to attend Access Creative College next year on their Music Production course where he will be able to dedicate his full time in education to the discipline.

Lilly Schutt, DJ. As well as being a very talented music producer and singer, Lilly has come to be one of the stand-out DJs among the Bristol Youth Studios cohort having started participating in Beacon teaching sessions just over a year ago. This musical journey began for her in 2024 when she fell in love with Bristol’s underground music scene and its faster E.D.M. sub-genres. Since then, she has made it her ambition to prove herself in a male-dominated part of the industry that isn’t always welcoming to young women. Having saved her own money to buy a modest set of second-hand decks a year ago she has been practicing ever since, but is now dealing with the technical limitations of this equipment. Lilly says she intends to use her prize money to upgrade from a hobbyist setup to a professional one, which will help her towards her 5-year goal of being a locally renowned, fully fledged DJ-producer-performer, and her 10-year goal of playing big festivals like Glastonbury and Boomtown.

image L-R: Rt Hon. Lord Mayor Cllr. Henry Michallat and Lilly Schutt

A person wearing a suit and medal holds an award frame, next to a young person stood next to DJ equipment, holding a paper envelope. They stand on stage

City Waits Award

Two young people received the prestigious City Waits award in recognition of their very high standard of musicianship and contribution to music making in Bristol. An example to their peers, they received a City Waits Award certificate, presented with the City Waits Medallion and £800 to support their musical career.

Tsz Wan ‘Jana’ Wong, Flute – Since joining in year 7 she has shown exceptional commitment to group becoming and integral member. Playing at a post-grade 8 level, she regularly leads the section and performs solos in major works, showcasing both technical ability and musical maturity that she has gained not only from Bristol Beacon ensembles, but also from the National Youth Orchestra Inspire programme. Jana has said that being appointed a City Wait Award would allow her to transition from an orchestral player to a civic ambassador, and she would look forward to proudly representing Bristol’s rich, diverse, and inclusive musical heritage at official events. She has already taken the opportunity in her role as part of the Bristol Beacon Youth Voice Committee to advocate for the region’s next generation of young musicians, and in this new appointment as City Wait looks forward to further serving Bristol through high-level performances. Jana intends to use her prize winnings to contribute to her diploma level coaching, instrument maintenance, and travel for university & conservatoire auditions. Jana’s performance included ‘La Flûte de Pan’, Opus. 15: Movement I. Pan et les bergers by Jules Mouquet.

Nathanael Moss, Cello – Nathanael is a dedicated member of Bristol Youth Orchestra. Tim Harrison, the conductor of BYO, has described Nathanael as a talented and enthusiastic performer who is equally accomplished as both a soloist and ensemble player. Last month, he very impressively performed the first movement of Elgar’s Cello Concerto with the orchestra as part of their Beacon Hall Spring concert in collaboration with the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England, a highly-attended and glowingly reviewed show. Nathaniel is currently studying A-level Music and is planning on applying for conservatoires next year to follow his ultimate aspiration of becoming a professional cellist. He intends to put his prize money from the award towards audition costs, consultation lessons, and travelling across the country.Nathaniel treated us to a stunning performance of a ‘Suite for Solo Cello: Movement I.’ by Gaspar Cassadó and ‘Sarabande’ from Cello Suite 2 in D minor, by J. S. Bach

Image L-R: Rt Hon. Lord Mayor Cllr. Henry Michallat and Nathanael Moss