Royal Conservatoire of Scotland graduate Molly Sellors (BMus Performance (Woodwind, 2025) has won the top prize in the Performing & Production Arts (P&PA) Challenge at this year’s Converge Awards. 

Converge is Scotland’s leading company creation programme for staff, students and recent graduates of Scottish universities.

Since its launch in 2011, the programme has trained over 1000 aspiring founders and supported the creation of more than 500 companies. 

The P&PA Challenge, co-designed by Converge and RCS, extends this offer, providing tailored support for those starting up businesses in the performing and production arts sector. 

Molly took home first prize, worth £10,000, for her venture, The Ordinary Orchestra, which she leads together with New Zealand musician Dr Isaac Shieh.

Being far from ordinary, the new Glasgow-based, disabled-led ensemble offers a fresh model for making early and classical music more accessible to audiences who may previously have felt excluded from traditional settings. 

Combining period instruments with electronic dance music (EDM), rave culture, contemporary collaborations, and digital storytelling, The Ordinary Orchestra exists to challenge expectations of what classical music can be, who it is for, and where it belongs. 

Reflecting on the win, Molly said: “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. 

“We’re going to use the prize money to create our first three months of content, giving us the foundation for everything we want to do on social media and to start building an audience.

“While we’ve always believed in the idea, having this affirmation that there might be something in it has given us the confidence to bring it to life.” 

A new addition to the P&PA Challenge this year, the Creative Fusion Award worth £5,000 was presented to Queen Margaret University student Aisha Josiah (MA in Arts, Festival and Cultural Management) for Stage Analytics, a data intelligence platform for the performing arts that transforms box office, review and audience data into real-time insights to help artists and producers make smarter decisions around scheduling, marketing and pricing. 

The new award is sponsored by Mark Logan, former Chief Operating Officer of Skyscanner, former Chief Entrepreneur at the Scottish Government, and currently Entrepreneur in Residence at the Conservatoire, recognising exceptional cross-disciplinary innovation. 

Mark said: “I’m delighted to see Stage Analytics win the inaugural Creative Fusion Award. Aisha has built a business that combines a leading technology platform with deep insight and experience in the field of live performance. She fully epitomises the spirit of the award, and I commend her for what she has already achieved.” 

As part of a 17-strong cohort, Molly and Aisha underwent intensive entrepreneurial training over the summer, followed by time to develop and refine their business proposals before pitching to an industry panel, who selected them as this year’s prize winners. 

Deborah Keogh, Head of Engagement at RCS, said: “Partnering on this challenge with Converge has opened the door to different types of people and business propositions from across Scotland’s higher education network.

“We were delighted to see such strong ideas and talented creative entrepreneurs keen to make their mark in the performing and production arts. 

“As the national conservatoire, we are excited about the partnership potential of programmes like these, working to raise the profile and value of performing arts businesses and ensuring they take their place alongside sectors such as Deep Tech, Life Sciences and Net Zero.” 

Adam Kosterka, Executive Director of Converge, said: “This year’s finalists represent one of the strongest and most diverse cohorts in our history. Projects such as The Ordinary Orchestra show that innovation can be just as transformative in the creative industries as it is in science or technology. 

“For 15 years, Converge has supported talented people to turn innovative ideas into sustainable ventures capable of making a meaningful impact. Being selected among such a competitive field is a testament to the skill, creativity and commercial potential of all our winners.”

Main image: Molly Sellors of The Ordinary Orchestra with RCS Deputy Principal, Dr Lois Fitch.