Sean Morrison

Sean Morrison is a musician and educator from Ayr, Scotland currently based in Manchester, UK.

Described as “a fluent and fearless player”, Sean is motivated and enthused by an eclectic mix of music and has performed at a high level in a number of guises. He studies classical violin and as a result of this he has a wealth of experience in both orchestral, solo and chamber music. He has performed on international stages such as the BBC Proms and Edinburgh International Festival as well as playing in many orchestral settings during his conservatoire studies, from standard orchestral repertoire to contemporary works to popular music.

Sean is a prizewinning graduate from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire where he studied with Simon Smith and Caroline Pether. Sean thoroughly enjoyed his time at the conservatoire and views it as a special place where he really found his musical voice. Sean is in his second year of his Master’s studies at the Royal Northern College of Music, studying with Leland Chen and is finding Manchester to be a very exciting current musical home. Sean’s interest and skill in orchestral playing has been apparent at both the RNCM and Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, performing as concertmaster for the Symphony Orchestras of both colleges. Sean’s keen interest in chamber music has also played a vital role in his music-making. As a founding member of the Saorsa Quartet he has performed at venues around the West Midlands, including a number of world premieres. The quartet won the prestigious Sylvia Cleaver Chamber Music prize at the RBC in 2022 performing music by Caroline Shaw. He also was a part of the Nabi Quartet in Manchester who were winners in the Hirsch Chamber Music Prize at the RNCM. He was also selected as a participant in the inaugural DSQ Academy, an academy run by the Grammy-nominated Danish String Quartet in the beautiful Danish countryside. Sean has also performed as a concerto soloist with Leamington Sinfonia, Stratford-Upon-Avon Symphony Orchestra, Ayr Strings and South Ayrshire Chamber Orchestra.

In addition to his classical talents Sean is an accomplished traditional fiddle player. He is incredibly passionate about the music of his native Scotland and has performed and recorded around the country with a range of groups. Festivals Sean has appeared at include Kendall Calling, Shambala, Gate to Southwell, Purbeck Valley Folk Festival, Towersey Festival, Power Folk 6 and the Grahamstown Arts Festival in South Africa. Sean’s main folk music project is Thorpe & Morrison an Anglo-Scottish fiddle and guitar duo who have toured and recorded to critical acclaim, their most recent release was nominated for Bright Young Folk Reader’s Choice Poll for Album of the Year 2022. He is also part of “Birmingham’s Premier Folk Supergroup”, The Filkin’s Ensemble, an exciting collaboration of 15 of the UK’s finest young folk musicians. Sean is also currently working on an exciting electronic/folk fusion project with electronic musician Mafu.

Music education and outreach is also a huge part of his musical life and he has been a part of many education programmes both in Ayrshire and Birmingham with Birmingham Music Service, East Ayrshire Music Service, In Harmony and the Leap Ensemble at RBC. He is also a tutor with the ARCO Project, a wonderful initiative run out of the Strings Department of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, giving lessons over Zoom to children living in Soweto, South Africa.

Aside from the fiddle, Sean is a big fan of electronic music and has recently made his DJ debut at Between the Trees Festival in South Wales. He also loves to be outdoors and is excited to explore the Peak District very soon.