THE TRUST IN ACTION: ADAM KING'S STORY
January 2010

"In Spring 2007, I found out through a family friend about the Paul Brown Memorial Fund. At the time, I was studying for a BA in Jazz Studies at Middlesex University, London, and had started to learn the double bass. As anybody with knowledge of the instrument will know, it isn't particularly approachable in terms of finance. So, with this in mind I decided to pursue the fund further, and checked out the Paul Brown Memorial Fund website. I sent off the application form and met one of the trustees, Gerard Le Feuvre, a professional cellist. He was extremely helpful, eventually meeting me at Thwaites, the string dealers in London and offering his expertise and advice. What is really cool is that I play with Paul's father, the saxophonist Denny Brown, who was a good friend of my father. Playing my Le Fleure bass with Denny really perpetuates the good vibe of the Trust's manner. It's great blowing with Denny, and moreover knowing that my possibilities as a musician are enhanced as a result of his son's legacy.

After much deliberation and travel to and from Thwaites to try out various instruments I found a double bass which suited me down to the ground. The Trust handled everything very professionally and in all it was a very enjoyable and happy experience. I absolutely love my instrument, it has really developed into an extension of myself. This bass has proved invaluable as a tool for my music. I passed my degree recital with the highest mark in the institution for the past ten years, gaining a first class honours in BA Jazz Studies. For the past eighteen months this bass has travelled extensively with me around London and Jersey and has been played at gigs everywhere from the Vortex Jazz Club in Dalston to the National Theatre on London's Southbank (below). It is my living. I am currently in demand in London largely because of the help that the Paul Brown Memorial Fund has offered, for which I am extremely thankful. "

- ADAM KING

FIRST STUDENTS TO BENEFIT TALK ABOUT THEIR GRANTS
September 2008

"I am extremely grateful for this support as purchasing such an instrument simply would not have been possible for me at this stage in my life...it does feel like a new beginning as far as my performing career is concerned."

"Other opportunities have arisen which are now possible due to owning my own instrument. I have accepted a two-week period of employing playing for a West End production and have been able to accept many other gigs."

"My daughter's progress would not have been possible without the Paul Brown Trust. In December she performed in Haydn's Creation at the Barbican with the world renowned Gabrieli Players and Consort."

"The Trust provided some funding which enabled our daughter to travel to the UK to play with the National Children's Wind Orchestra - she enjoyed both the course and her playing really benefited from being with such an enthusiastic group of young musicians."

"I am thrilled with how my musical career is taking shape and I owe much of it to my year's study. Please allow me to express my sincere gratitude to the Paul Brown Memorial Fund."

PRESS RELEASE
March 2005

A new trust fund to support Jersey young musicians has been launched with a legacy from former Channel Television journalist Paul Brown. The fund, which bears the name of the popular local journalist who died suddenly in 1997, will support the activities of young musicians living in the Island or educated here and pursuing studies elsewhere. Musicians with interests in any form of music will be eligible to apply for support from the fund which holds around £200,000 but the intention is primarily to assist those who are intending to make a career in the musical world. Trustee Gerard Le Feuvre explained that the trustees are seeking applications from musicians under the age of 35 who are seeking to establish themselves professionally. "The trustees do not wish to be prescriptive about the projects they will support but we envisage that we might have applications for funding to pursue master-classes or courses, or perhaps for grants towards instruments. We might even wish to support a young artist in a recording or perhaps in a concert series particularly where it benefits the musical public in Jersey," he said. He explained that the Trust was not limited to practitioners of specific musical styles because Paul Brown, himself a talented amateur musician, was especially known for the breadth of his musical interests. A member of the Jersey Big Band, he was also an enthusiast of a range of different kinds of music and had an impressively wide collection of recorded music.

The Trustees will meet twice a year to consider applications. The first set of awards will be made this summer. The deadline for applications is 1st June.