A 23-year-old classical flautist from Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl, México state, has won a scholarship to study in London, England, for four weeks over the summer.

Marcos Nicolás Sosa was awarded the annual Anglo Arts City Music Foundation Scholarship, an initiative of the Anglo Mexican Foundation that recognizes young Mexican instrumentalists of great talent and excellence in the performance of classical music and/or jazz.

He will now have the opportunity to study at the City Music Foundation, an institution in the British capital that provides early career music professionals with expert advice, guidance and support.

“I feel very honored, it’s a large responsibility but also a great opportunity,” said Sosa, a graduate of the National Conservatory of Music who has played in several orchestras and teaches flute at his alma mater.

“I’m really eager to learn in a country such as England, one of the most established places in terms of culture, art and history.”

Sosa, who began playing the flute at 8 and taking formal classes at 11, participated in a virtual selection process before being awarded the scholarship, which will also afford him the opportunity to perform at concert venues in London and make recordings of his music.

The son of two accountants, the flautist is the first professional musician in his family. He decided that he wanted to dedicate his life to music at a young age while attending classes at the Ollin Yolitzli music and dance school in Mexico City.

“The path has obviously not been easy, especially this pandemic period,” Sosa told the newspaper Reforma, adding that his desire to excel in his chosen field has only increased as the result of having limited recent opportunities to perform in front of audiences.

He is the third winner of the Anglo Arts City Music Foundation Scholarship after Eusebio Sánchez, a xylophonist, and Abner Jairo Ortiz, a cellist.

Source: Reforma (sp), ADN Cultura (sp)