Musician, 26, is one of Britain’s brainiest graduates

A University of Manchester student who graduates tomorrow (18 July) has joined the ranks of Britain's brainiest after achieving another top qualification at the age of just 26. Stephanie Oade, from Liverpool, has the rare distinction of achieving a first class Bachelors degree in music, postgraduate distinction in music, a Fellowship from the Royal Schools of Music and now a first class Bachelors degree in Latin language and literature. The cellist studied Latin part time at The University of Manchester, while carrying out full time study at Manchester's Royal Northern College of Music, as well as progressing a successful music career. At Manchester, she earned a huge 83% for her final year dissertation entitled "Poetry into Music", which takes for its subject instrumental settings for the Roman poet Ovid's Metamorphoses. At the RNCM, she achieved the highest cello mark in the Final Recitals and was awarded the prestigious Leonard Rose Cello Prize. Stephanie has performed extensively as a soloist since making her concerto debut at the age of 16 playing Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations and is now a full-time cellist in the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. She has also performed with the BBC Philharmonic, Halle, Royal Philhamonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, London Symphony and Philharmonia Orchestras, as well as Northern Sinfonia and Manchester Camerata.