May Halyburton
May Halyburton studied double bass at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. On graduating in 1994 with a BA (musical studies), a Certificate of Post Graduate Studies and the Eugene Cruft Prize for double bass, she took up the post of sub principal bass with Orquestra Simfonica de Balears, Palma de Mallorca. She returned to Scotland in 1998 and has freelanced with all the Scottish Orchestras, as well as the RLPO, Northern Sinfonia and BRB Sinfonia.
She has a very eclectic taste in music and gained an Advanced Diploma in jazz at St Andrews University music centre, along with the Linda Trahan memorial prize for best performance. She has performed and recorded with various singer/songwriters and folk musicians.
May also has an interest in baroque music and has played violone/baroque double bass with several ensembles including the Irish Baroque Orchestra, Dunedin Consort, Ludus Baroque and Newcastle Baroque. She is a very keen chamber musician and founded the cello/bass duo, Opus Duo, with cellist Jane Colvin and has played with a variety of groups including the Hebrides Ensemble, the Assembly Project, the Fitzwilliam Quartet and the London based Clod Ensemble.
May is a Trustee of the Scottish Bass Trust and a member of the board of Edinburgh Youth Orchestra. She enjoys coaching youth orchestra double bass sections from school to national levels and organising double bass events for all ages and stages of players.
She is also a highly sought after teacher and works with students of all ages, with a special interest in mini bass tuition. It is this interest which is the driving force behind “Around the World with Bessy.” When asked about how Bessy Bass came to be, May said,
“Since day one, I have always called my bass, Bessy! The idea of using it as a character first came to me when my teacher set the assignment of creating a demonstration performance to introduce the double bass to children. I wrote a short narrative and accompanied it with music in order to show off the capabilities and versatility of the instrument. After trying this out at a junior branch of a local music club and encouraged by the reaction of my young audience, I decided to write and formalise a much more detailed story, and in 2005, I wrote the first draft of Around The World With Bessy – Part One – Europe, the first in a series of stories accompanied by music for children. However, due to my busy work schedule as a freelance double bassist and teacher and unsure of how to take the next step with Bessy, I carefully filed her away. Nine years later I found the inspiration and courage to revisit this story, and together with encouragement from several friends, I rescued her from the shelf, edited parts of the story and called pianist and composer Lynda Cochrane! This was the beginning of a very exciting journey that still has many miles to travel and adventures to be experienced!