Royal Conservatoire of Scotland students and staff will take their creative practice into bold new territory after securing support from a £20,000 funding pot.

RCS’s Innovation Studio – a hub for creative experimentation, collaboration and interdisciplinary exploration – has backed nine ambitious projects through the latest round of its Seed Fund awards.

They include audio technology that will link remote Japanese islands, enabling school pupils and community musicians to rehearse and perform together live; a motion‑capture video that transforms instrumental movements into striking visuals; and hand‑crafted puppets designed to support communication, learning and inclusion in Glasgow classrooms and community spaces.

Students and staff can apply to the Seed Fund for up to £1,000 to explore an early‑stage idea or up to £4,000 to further shape an existing project.

The projects, which will move into research and development, were selected by an independent panel including RCS Head of Composition Oliver Searle; podcast and audio producer Halina Rifai; Shelley Breckenridge, senior innovation engagement lead at Interface; Calum Main, immersive technologies research fellow at Edinburgh College of Art and  Zoë Alba Farrugia, producer at Youth Theatre Scotland and co-artistic director of Prickly Pear Productions.

Meet the awardees

Students

Those Who Run with Wolves – Niamh Baillie Strong, BMus Jazz

Second-year jazz student Niamh Baillie Strong is a Glasgow-based neo-soul and jazz singer whose eclectic, introspective style explores themes of identity, belonging, and love.

Drawing inspiration from jazz greats such as Anita O’Day, Nina Simone and Sarah Vaughan, she blends their influence with that of contemporary artists such as Yebba, D’Angelo and Sade.

Her project, Those Who Run with Wolves, is a multidisciplinary exhibition and performance series celebrating underrepresented voices across the visual arts and jazz music scenes.

Inspired by the untamed spirit of the ‘wild self’, the project reimagines what it means to be free, expressive and connected in a world that often silences difference.

Niamh said: “At a time when women’s and gender-minority creative spaces in Glasgow are increasingly under threat, this support helps create an environment where these communities can feel safe, valued and able to create without judgment.

“The funding strengthens both the project and my practice, enabling inclusive, meaningful work to continue.”

Communicating Through Puppets – Andrew MacFarlane, BA Production Arts and Design

Props and puppet maker Andrew MacFarlane, a second-year student on the BA Production Arts and Design programme, will explore how hand-crafted puppets can enhance learning and inclusion in Glasgow classrooms and community spaces.

From a young age, Andrew has been a huge fan of Jim Henson’s Muppets and spent much of his childhood making characters out of cardboard and whatever materials he could get his hands on.

Andrew said: “This funding gives me the opportunity to explore how puppets can genuinely help people communicate, learn and connect. It allows me to build new prototypes, test ideas with real classrooms and community groups, and grow my practice beyond traditional props work.”

did you see what i did there? – Morna Ross, MA Creative Arts Practice

Postgraduate student Morna Ross will use her award to develop a new theatre performance that explores what a scam looks like in 2026. Morna is a socially engaged theatre maker from Nairn who aims to create highly engaging and comedic work, often inspired by the Highlands.

Her debut show, The Fastest Town in Scotland, was performed at the Nairn Book & Arts Festival and Light the Blue Festival by Aberdeen Performing Arts.

In 2025, the production toured community spaces in the north of Scotland with North East Arts Touring.

Morna said: “With support from the Innovation Studio, I will be able to do research and development for a brand-new experimental theatre piece. By performing online scams verbatim, did you see what i did there? will explore how we connect with each other on a human level despite a rapidly evolving digital world.”

Staff

Nazara – Dr Ankna Arockiam, Lecturer on the BMus programme

Originally from Hyderabad, India, Ankna Arockiam moved to Glasgow in 2011 to pursue her passion for music. A versatile singer with roots in Indian and Western classical traditions, her artistic practice and research are grounded in collaboration across styles and genres.

Ankna is also the founder of Glasgow Sitare, a singing group for South Asian women, co-founder of Shared Narratives, an initiative supporting researchers of colour in the performing arts, and Artistic Director of Westbourne Music.

Set to be filmed on the Isle of Skye later this year, Nazara is a collaborative film exploring identity, belonging and cultural hybridity through music, dance and the landscapes of the Scottish Highlands.

Ankna said: “This support enables me to expand my practice through the intersection of music, movement and film. It will also help me explore my layered identity in new ways and strengthen my collaborative work with South Asian artists in Scotland.”

Distant Drums – Dr Ben Redman, Lecturer in Learning and Teaching in the Arts

Ben Redman is a professional percussionist and educator with more than three decades of teaching experience across schools, conservatoires and universities. His performing career spans orchestral, contemporary, traditional and commercial music, including work with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

In 2021, Ben completed his PhD in Online Music Education at RCS and the University of St Andrews, specialising in low-latency technologies for musical collaboration.

Ben said: “The Innovation Studio Seed funding will allow me to install and trial low-latency audio systems across the Tokara Islands in Japan, enabling school pupils and community musicians to rehearse and perform together remotely in real time for the first time in the history of the islands.

“Working on site means I can embed the technology effectively, build local skills, and generate insights that will strengthen future practice and research in technology-enabled musical collaboration.”

Singing Threads – Laura McFall, Deputy Lecturer Early Years

A passionate advocate for the wellbeing benefits of singing, Laura McFall champions the belief that everyone can sing and share in its joy.

Laura has been awarded seed funding to develop Singing Threads, an initiative that creatively intertwines Gaelic song, weaving and singing for wellbeing, empowering collaboration and experimentation through interdisciplinary practices.

Laura is a musician, educator and choral leader known for her commitment to advancing vocal and music education. She holds a Master’s degree in Vocal Performance, where she studied with Wilma MacDougall and a Postgraduate Diploma in Education from RCS.

Laura said: “The Innovation Studio Funding will give me the time and space to think creatively and imaginatively about building a wellbeing–focused, socially engaged project, while deepening collaboration with social impact-led organisations. This support will help transform Singing Threads from a pilot into a sustainable, interdisciplinary community practice.”

Aespenitha Motion Capture Music Video – Dr Miriam Iorwerth, Digital Development Manager

Aespenitha are an acoustic duo performing experimental Nordic folk, comprising Barry Nisbet (vocals, fiddle and guitar) and Miriam Iorwerth (marimba and percussion). Their inspiration is drawn from the fringes of geography, music, human experience, and language – including Barry’s native Shaetlan, the lost Shetland Norn, and accented English.

Miriam’s background as a technologist and the duo’s shared fascination with experimentation, combined with ancient melodies, styles and languages, gives their practice a retro-futuristic aspect.

Aespenitha will collaborate with an animator to produce a music video generated from motion capture data of instrument action points, including fiddle bow and marimba mallets, which they’ll record at the CoSTAR lab facilities.

Miriam said: “The project will help us explore the artistic possibilities of motion capture, using ideas and concepts of visual music. This will give a visual representation of our music, allowing those who may hear differently to experience it.”

Five Finger Discount – Nikki Kalkman, Audience Operations

Nikki Kalkman is an Australian-born playwright, theatre maker and producer. Her recent writing credits include Jocasta (A Play, A Pie and A Pint, 2025), The Bookshop Untold (Wigtown Book Festival 2023), Odd Socks (Puppet Animation Festival 2022), and a new Doric audio theatre project currently in development and supported by Creative Scotland and Aberdeen Performing Arts.

The Seed Fund will support research and development time for a new monologue theatre piece about the secret lives of women who steal – exploring shame, desire, and the quiet thrill of transgression.

Nikki said: “This funding will empower me to advance my practice as an emerging playwright and theatre maker by providing dedicated time and resources to research and explore this new idea. Ultimately, allowing me to experiment, test and refine ideas, and build stronger connections with the theatre community.”

Child and work – we say ‘yes’! – Dr Rūta Vitkauskaitė, Lecturer in Composition

Rūta Vitkauskaitė is a composer whose work bridges classical composition with participatory, interdisciplinary and community-based practices. Her music has been performed internationally by ensembles including the BBC Singers, Manchester Collective, Ensemble 360, and the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra.

Faced with the challenges of new motherhood, Rūta sought funding from Innovation Studio to collaborate with fellow composer-mothers to develop a framework for composing with children present, rethinking outcomes, and choosing tools that maximise screen-free creative practice.

Rūta said: “This award gives me space to explore how to keep composing while caring for my baby, without having to choose between the two. The professional world often expects childcare and work to stay separate, but I believe they can – and should – coexist for the wellbeing of both parent and child.”

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The Seed Fund is open twice a year, empowering the RCS community to explore new ground – where experimenting and refining concepts are all part of the journey.

Do you have an idea or project that could expand your thinking or creative practice, or help you collaborate or connect across creative disciplines?

The next Seed Fund round opens on 28 April 2026.

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