Penzance teacher Tim Boulton is heading to the Royal Albert Hall

A man who has spent 23 years carrying violins, violas and cellos in and out of West Cornwall classrooms is about to swap the school hall for one of the most famous stages in the country.

Tim Boulton, of Penzance community interest company MusicAbility CIC, has been named Classic FM Visiting and Private Music Teacher of the Year 2026. He will be presented with the award at Classic FM Live at the Royal Albert Hall on Monday 12 October.

The prize includes a share of £20,000 worth of equipment for local young musicians.

Who is Tim Boulton?

Tim has lived and worked in Cornwall for 23 years. With his partner, music therapist Ruth Boulton, he became a founding director of MusicAbility, which offers music therapy and education to local children from all backgrounds. Bursaries are available for children who could not otherwise afford to learn an instrument.

He teaches violin, viola and cello, and is a frequent visitor to schools across West Cornwall. MusicAbility provides string teaching in five local secondary schools and to students from many local primary schools.

Tim is also director of Cornwall Youth Orchestra and conducts Penzance Orchestral Society.

A pathway from first lessons to the big stage

Together with colleague Emma Stansfield, Tim runs a network of youth string orchestras: Penzance Junior Strings, Band of West Strings and Truro Youth String Orchestra. The idea is to give young people a way to build group skills alongside their individual lessons, with a clear route from one ensemble up to the next.

The orchestras all play locally. They have also had the chance to perform at annual events in Birmingham and at the Royal Albert Hall.

MusicAbility says the main focus of its education work is helping young people develop strong musical skills and confidence early on, with lessons that combine supportive encouragement and attention to detail.

Several of Tim’s past students from West Cornwall are now working at the highest levels of the music profession. Some are in orchestras and chamber groups, some are in bands, and some are writing music for games.

“A central part of young people’s identity”

Tim said: “I feel honoured to receive this award which recognises some of the very best teaching practice across the UK. At MusicAbility we’ve worked hard to make sure music education here in Cornwall is engaging and fulfilling, and our young musicians are able to be recognised locally and sometimes nationally for their skills and talents.

“Music is so much more than a school subject, it’s a central part of young people’s identity and an interface with the world around them.”

The full list of this year’s winners is on the Classic FM Music Teacher of the Year 2026 page.

Who MusicAbility works with

MusicAbility CIC was founded by Tim and Ruth Boulton and has been running since 2017. It frequently partners with the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Music Hub, run by Hall For Cornwall, and with the national charity Music For Youth. Tim is also Outreach Consultant for IMS (Prussia Cove).

The company works alongside a separate Penzance-based charity, the MusicAbility Foundation, which is run by a team of nine trustees. The Foundation has recently restored a Regency building in Parade Street, Penzance, now known as MusicAbility Centre. It houses two purpose-equipped music therapy rooms and other teaching spaces.

The charity also provides a residency for The Elmore Quartet, a professional string quartet whose members spend up to six weeks a year in West Cornwall. They give concerts to thousands of young people every year and support school curriculum delivery, all free to schools.