kate nash screenshot

ACM Alumni Linda Buratto and Emma Hughes Achieving Global Success

20 Mar 2019

This post was written more than two years ago. The content or information below may no longer be accurate.

Here at ACM, our goal is to help our students and alumni build long-lasting and sustainable careers by doing something they love.

For over two decades, we have been tirelessly providing educational experiences expertly designed to ensure that our students have the best possible chances of success – and we are naturally proud of every student who makes their most desired dream a reality. Many of our students even take things further than they may have previously thought possible, as our innovative curriculum and peerless industry connections enable them to uncover fresh opportunities and open doors to entirely new possibilities.

During a recent trip to Los Angeles, ACM alumna and globe-trotting videographer Yulia Hauer caught up with two fellow ACM alumni, namely the incredibly talented guitarist Linda Buratto (Guitar Performance, class of 2012) and multi-instrumentalist Emma Hughes (Bass Performance, class of 2011). For the last seven years, Linda and Emma have both been working with platinum-selling global superstar and highly respected feminist icon Kate Nash as key members of her live backing band. Yulia caught up with Linda and Emma as they prepared to thrill their latest audience at Hollywood’s 1,200-capacity Fonda Theatre – a show that attracted many positive and well-deserved reviews – during a four-week American tour.

“We both got the Kate Nash gig through ACM . The fact that ACM supported us, while we were still at university, to go out and tour, and were behind us every step of the way, really gave us that foot onto the next level. I think that’s why we’re lucky enough to still be doing what we’re doing nine years later!”
Emma Hughes

Emma and Linda are living proof that sustainable careers in the music and wider creative industries are achievable, especially when dedicated and hard-working talents actively engage with an industry-leading education and take full advantage of exciting career development options. After meeting during their time at ACM and playing through the classic Foo Fighters tune “All My Life” during an early jam session, a promising musical partnership developed into a professional relationship and friendship that continues to this day. As well as their high-profile international work with Kate Nash, Linda and Emma have also played with hard rock outfit Electric Pyramid, heading off on tour supporting Queen in Eastern Europe and working in the studio with production gurus Larry Hibbitt (Hundred Reasons, Nothing But Thieves, Marmozets, Don Broco), ACM alumnus Filippo Cimatti (Jeff Beck, Bones), and John Cornfield (Muse, Supergrass).

In recent years, Linda has also played festivals with Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly; performed with the latter while supporting singer-songwriter Frank Turner at The Roundhouse in London; been part of an orchestral performance during the WOW (Women of the World) Festival at the Southbank Centre; and launched Girls Rock London, a music camp dedicated to supporting female musicians.

As some elements of the music and wider creative industries continue to resist the rise and increasing prominence of hard-working and talented women, resilience and determination in the face of challenges and obstacles remain as important as ever. ACM is particularly proud that Emma and Linda can be considered fantastic role models for anyone looking to forge a creative career, regardless of gender, background, or other identifying factors. Diversity and inclusion are treated with the utmost priority at ACM; our student, alumni, and staff network forms a tight-knit community that welcomes anyone who wants to gain the skills you need to be successful on a global scale.

ACM brings real-world opportunities to you while you’re still in education – and with our alumni network now standing over 13,000 strong, the chances of connecting with ideal collaborators and opportunities has never been greater. ACM and our partners at Metropolis Studios are connected to every single 2019 BRIT Awards winner, and our alumni have gone on to work in all areas of the global creative industries. Past ACM graduates include Matt Healy (vocals, The 1975), Mercedes Brown (International Product Manager, Universal Music Group), Joe Clegg (drums, Ellie Goulding), Carmen Vandenberg (guitar, Jeff Beck), Ed Sheeran, Atlanta Cobb (Artist Management, Crown Talent and Media Group) and Shea Stedford (producer, Little Mix).

 

Ace and ACM alumna Carmen Vandenberg

As Emma and Linda explain in the video above, ACM will help you set up a solid foundation upon which you can build your own creative industries career – and also aid you in sourcing exciting and unexpected opportunities. That said, as with anything in life, you get out what you put in – and our alumni deserve the ultimate credit for their success, having worked tirelessly, persevered, and remained focused on their goals and ongoing progress over the course of so many years.


If you’d like to learn more about how we can help kick-start your music career, why not come along to one of ACM’s Open Days.

Open Days