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The Prince of Wales and the Arts Council of Wales announce eight talented recipients for the new Prince of Wales Advanced Study Awards
17th May 2007
The first talented young musicians to receive the inaugural The Prince of Wales’s Advanced Study in Music Awards were announced today. Eight young people from across the length and breadth of Wales are to benefit from scholarships of up to £8,000 to fund postgraduate studies at colleges and conservatoires across the world.
The successful candidates for this first award have been named as tenor Owain-Llyr Williams, sopranos Elizabeth Donovan, Caryl Hughes and Glesni Fflur, mezzo soprano Melanie Gowie, harpist Claire Jones and violinists Rhys Watkins and Benjamin Roskams. They will perform together for the first time at a gala dinner hosted by HRH The Prince of Wales at Cardiff Castle to celebrate the new session of the National Assembly for Wales.
The new scholarship scheme, launched in January this year, is funded by HRH The Prince of Wales and The Arts Council of Wales and is aimed at helping Wales’s most outstanding young musical talent. It is open to students based in Wales and aims to help young people enhance their skills in a way that will benefit the cultural life of Wales.
The Prince of Wales said, “These scholarships are an excellent opportunity to help young people achieve their potential and go on to make a worthwhile contribution to cultural life in Wales.”
Professor Dai Smith, Chair of The Arts Council of Wales, said, “ACW is delighted to work alongside The Prince of Wales on this scheme. This is something that can really help the musical life of Wales by ensuring that the best talent is not lost, but rather is developed to the highest possible degree – my congratulations to each of the recipients.”
The scholarships are administered by The Arts Council of Wales. Auditions were held in London and Cardiff last April, judged by a panel of eminent musicians including Ingrid Surgenor, repetiteuse at Bayreuth Festspielhaus, Gillian Green, Director for Live Music Now Wales, and Geraint Lewis representing The Prince of Wales.
Einion Dafydd, Senior Music Officer at the Arts Council of Wales, said, “In terms of the overall quality of musicianship and the numbers of those who applied, this is an important funding stream. The panel was impressed by the integrity of the applicants and the seriousness of their planning for a future in the music profession. The awards enable a step change in their career into the mainstream at international level. We're looking forward to running the scheme again in 2008."
The Scheme is supported by a range of individuals and organisations including Dennis O’Neill CBE, Dame Anne Evans, Owain Arwel Hughes OBE, Dr Terry James, Beatrix Unsworth, Geraint Talfan Davies, Rhodri Williams, Wynne Evans, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Welsh National Opera and the Young Concert Artists Trust.
Students wishing to apply for the next scholarship round should contact Einion Dafydd, The Arts Council of Wales, on 01492 533440.
About the recipients
Owain-Llyr Williams (tenor): Originally from St Clears near Carmarthen, Owain wishes to pursue a singing career in Music Theatre and will enrol as a postgraduate student at the RAM in September 2007. At the audition, he gave an excellent rendition of a number from Godspell which the panel believed showed his potential as a performer.
Elizabeth Donovan (soprano): The panel thought her rendition of material by Handel and Stravinsky attested to her musicality and her already burgeoning reputation. Elizabeth will attend the postgraduate course at the National Opera Studio, London, during the academic year 07/08. She currently lives in Cardiff.
Caryl Hughes (soprano): Caryl, who is from Aberdaron, gave a performance of Mozart and Rossini which delighted the panel in her attention to musical detail and the quality of her voice. She intends to enrol at the newly-established Cardiff International Academy of Voice.
Claire Jones (harp): Claire hails from Crymych in Pembrokeshire, but is currently studying at the Royal College of Music. She wishes to continue at postgraduate level at the Royal Academy of Music under Professor Skaila Kanga. Her playing, in particular the Tournier, demonstrated a high degree of interpretative skill.
Glesni Fflur (soprano): Originally from Bala, Glesni is currently studying at the Trinity College, Carmarthen, and aims to further her experience and training in Music Theatre at Mount View College. The panel agreed that the performance of Children of the Wind demonstrated that here was a fine singer, well worthy of the support available through this Scheme.
Rhys Watkins (violin): Rhys lives in Cardiff and is a member of Sinfonia Cymru. He has experience of playing with the LSO, and wishes to further his studies at postgraduate level at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hannover. His playing of Bach for solo violin was judged to be of an exceptionally high standard.
Melanie Gowie (mezzo soprano): The applicant wishes to further her studies as a postgraduate student at the Royal Academy of Music. Melanie displayed a broad range of expressive colours in her performance of material from Mozart's Cosi fan tutte and Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades.
Benjamin Roskams (violin): Was educated at Whtichurch High School, Cardiff and is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, Benjamin wishes to further his study of the violin in Berlin where, the panel agreed, he would benefit greatly from exposure to music practice in Germany. His playing of Saint-Saëns' Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso was outstanding and reflected the standard of music performance this scheme aims to promote.