The Musicians’ Company is delighted to announce that Connor Fogel has been awarded its first ever Musical Direction Award in Musical Theatre. Connor will be studying for a Postgraduate Diploma in Musical Direction at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts: one of the world’s most prestigious conservatoires training performers for a career in musical theatre.

A scholarship for aspiring Musical Directors is the first award of its kind in the UK, and is open to any student about to train as a Musical Director at one of the UK’s Musical Theatre courses. Chairman of the auditioning panel, Stuart Barr said: “The Musicians’ Company has been supporting emerging talent for over a century, and last year gave over £180,000 in awards to emerging musicians. With the West End such an important cultural asset in the UK’s musical heritage, we are delighted to be breaking new ground in championing the next generation of leaders in musical theatre.”

Born in South Wales, Connor studied at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. In 2010 he founded Redfields Community Choir, for which he received several awards, including a Diana Award.

As a pianist, Connor won the prestigious Eric Hodges Memorial Prize in 2013 for his performance of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 23. He has accompanied the world famous Treorchy Male Voice Choir, and played the harpsichord for the 2014 BAFTA award-winning ITV drama The Lost Honour.

A keen composer, Connor wrote his first musical, Triptych, in 2012. This was performed in concert at the Wales Millennium Centre. Since then Connor has provided musical direction on various shows, including Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, Into the Woods, and the Welsh premiere of the rock musical Bare. In 2014, Connor played Judas in the National Academy of Performing Arts’ production of Jesus Christ Superstar.