Molly Sellors, a BMus Performance graduate from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS), has been awarded first prize in the Performing & Production Arts (P&PA) Challenge at the national Converge Awards. Sellors' venture, The Ordinary Orchestra, received £10,000.
The Ordinary Orchestra, co-led by Sellors and New Zealand musician Dr Isaac Shieh, is a Glasgow-based, disabled-led ensemble aiming to make early and classical music more accessible. It challenges traditional perceptions by blending period instruments with electronic dance music, rave culture, digital storytelling, and contemporary collaborations.
Sellors stated, "We are so excited to have won this prize! As disabled classical musicians, we often face barriers within our industry and have to constantly find alternative ways to be creative. The Ordinary Orchestra is one of those." The prize money will be used to fund the creation of initial content for social media and audience building.
A new Creative Fusion Award, worth £5,000 and sponsored by Mark Logan, was presented to Aisha Josiah, a student from Queen Margaret University, for Stage Analytics. This data intelligence platform provides real-time insights for the performing arts sector, analysing box office, review, and audience data to aid scheduling, marketing, and pricing decisions.
Both Sellors and Josiah were part of a 17-strong cohort that underwent intensive entrepreneurial training and developed their business proposals before pitching to an industry panel.
Deborah Keogh, Head of Engagement at RCS, highlighted the success of the partnership with Converge, stating, "We were delighted to see such strong ideas and talented creative entrepreneurs keen to make their mark in the performing and production arts."
Adam Kosterka, Executive Director of Converge, commented on the strength and diversity of this year's finalists, noting that projects like The Ordinary Orchestra demonstrate the transformative potential of innovation in the creative industries.
