ABO award-winning Camerata 360° is built upon decades of excellence and diverse experience to train the next generation of musicians. We believe in the power of music to change people’s lives. Our bespoke fellowship programme, created with the generous support of The Ruth Sutton Trust for Music, gives musicians experience in all aspects of our work and the impact it makes.

© Duncan Elliott

“Artists can become compartmentalised in this sector. For example, focusing only on performance or community work. At Camerata, we see both of equal value and of great complement to each other. Camerata 360° aims to nurture the next generation of professionals in this way, creating unique opportunities to learn and grow as a musician in ways they might not get to elsewhere”

Manchester Camerata

Proud to support the North

The Camerata 360° Ruth Sutton Fellowship has been specifically designed for Northern-based musicians, with one of its key aims being to retain talent in the North of England. This year, the fellowship is open to musicians based in Greater Manchester or the surrounding areas (Cheshire, Lancashire, West Yorkshire, Merseyside, Derbyshire) – We will be accepting applicants from wind (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon), strings, and brass (french horn, trumpet), players.

© Robin Clewley


What will the Ruth Sutton Fellowship involve?

A year-long fellowship comprising of 65 days of training/work commencing September 2025. This is a fantastic opportunity for open-minded creatives who will join us on a unique development journey.

Fellows will become a team of collaborative, curious changemakers, joining a network of previous fellows, setting new standards in how music can impact people’s lives.

We will help to up-skill and develop you as a musician, leaving you with a greater understanding of the music world, and the workings of an orchestra.

You will gain the ability to contribute to different styles of music, more established professional connections with working musicians and a greater appreciation of the full potential and impact that music can have to change and enhance lives.

You will get:

  • The opportunity to engage with the breadth of Manchester Camerata’s work, including performance opportunities, community work, research insights, marketing, finance, management, concert curation and production, and leadership.
  • An opportunity to spend time with guest artists and learn from their experience in the sector.
  • Support to develop areas of interest and passions into real-life projects.
  • Time to develop your musical legacy as a Fellow. The legacy of this fellowship will be led by you, and the path you choose to take with it.
  • £10k in earnings to support you across the year.


Applications for this year’s fellowship are now open, make sure you get all applications in by 15 June at 23:59.

If you require any assistance during the application process, please contact Max Thomas at mthomas@manchestercamerata.com.

Download the 25/26 Application Pack >

Who is the Ruth Sutton Fellowship for?

We are looking for enthusiastic, dedicated musicians under the age of 30 whose values align with those of Manchester Camerata. We expect you to be highly collaborative and passionate about the impact music can make within all aspects of society. As well as working with the orchestra, our 360° fellows form a creative team, working collaboratively on a range of creative projects. Fellows will have to commit to 65 days of training/work over the year, to be agreed at the beginning of the Fellowship with Manchester Camerata.

Manchester Camerata prides itself on a diversity of activity and genre. We actively encourage applicants with a breadth of interests.

In collaboration with Black Lives in Music, we particularly, but not exclusively, welcome all musicians from the global majority (musicians from Black, Asian, and ethnically traditionally underrepresented groups) to apply for the Fellowship.

Why are we doing this?

The research tells us that for recent graduates, and existing freelance musicians, a whole variety of external forces (the cost-of-living crisis, post-pandemic budget-cuts, and reductions in money from large funding institutions) are creating an environment where music making may seem like a risky career choice. Our response is the Fellowship, which aims to combat some of this, by providing a real but reassuring all-round experience for future musicians. After a year of 360° experience, working within all aspects of the organisation, you will have gained a holistic approach to the industry, and discover the many different aspects and opportunities of a professional musician’s life that you may not have had the chance to yet consider.

Meet the 24/25 Ruth Sutton Fellows

Camerata 360° has been generously supported by The Ruth Sutton Trust for Music.

The family of Ruth Sutton are delighted to be founding the Manchester Camerata 360° Ruth Sutton Fellowship in Ruth’s memory. Ruth was a very fine concert pianist in her earlier years, and her love for music remained a passion throughout her life. In 2012, she founded the Pendle Young Musicians Bursary (PYMB) to give the young musicians of Pendle, a chance of gaining substantial funding to help them continue their musical studies. Ruth also developed a very close relationship with the Manchester Camerata, with both parties having immense respect for each other’s work. We are honoured to be carrying her name for this project and see the Fellows’ impact in Pendle.  

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