Kirsty is a qualified and experienced violinist. She holds a Master of Art with Distinction from the Royal Academy of Music and a Bachelor of Music with First Class Honours from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. During her studies she won numerous prizes including the Hilda Bailey prize for Violin, the Mabel Glober Prize for Chamber Music, the Thomas and Margaret Roddan Scholarship, the Wolfson Scholarship. and the Donald Dewar Scholarship. Kirsty is a Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music in Violin teaching.