Musicians Benevolent Fund

Musicians Benevolent Fund Young Talent Awards 2010

The Musicians Benevolent Fund Young Talent Awards are an important source of funding for young musicians and are made to those with a high level of musical achievement who are in financial need.

In 2009, the Fund distributed over £100,000 through this scheme to more than 180 musically gifted young people with awards ranging from £200 to £1,000.

Awards are offered to those who will be under 18 years of age on 1 September in the year of application towards one of the following i) the cost of buying an instrument ii) music lessons with a private teacher iii) fees for a Saturday music centre iv) travel expenses to attend a Saturday music centre.

Awards are also offered to those who are aged 18 and about to enter their first year at university or college. Applications from 18 year olds can only be made for instrument purchase. Applicants should be British or Irish or have been resident in the UK or Ireland for at least 3 years on the closing date.

The closing date for applications is Friday 11 June 2010

Please note that in order to complete the application form electronically you will need version 8 or higher of Adobe Reader. If you do not have this you can download the latest version free from the Adobe website or print the form and complete it by hand.

Musicians Benevolent Fund Postgraduate Performance Awards

The Musicians Benevolent Fund has launched the Postgraduate Performance Awards, its flagship funding scheme formerly known as the Music Education Awards. Awards are offered to outstandingly talented instrumentalists (including accompanists and repetiteurs) and singers to help with full-time postgraduate study costs or towards the costs of buying a musical instrument.

Individual awards range from £1,000 to £5,000 and include a number of named awards and scholarships, including:

• Postgraduate Performance Awards for all disciplines
• Ian Fleming Charitable Trust Music Education Awards for all disciplines
• Charles Leggett Awards for brass and woodwind
• Eleanor Warren Award for cello
• Emily English Scholarship and Manoug Parikian Award for violin
• Maidment Scholarships for voice
• Myra Hess Scholarships for piano
• Sir Henry Richardson Scholarships for accompanists and repetiteurs

If you are considering applying, please note that this is not a general source of postgraduate funding. Only those who can demonstrate significant musical achievement and talent, supported by evidence of major prizes, high-profile performances and exemplary references will be invited to audition.

The closing date for applications has now passed. The next deadline will be February 2011.

Guilhermina Suggia Gift

The Guilhermina Suggia Gift of £3,000 is for exceptionally talented cellists under the age of 21 following competitive audition. The award was established in 1955 in memory of distinguished Portuguese cellist Guilhermina Suggia to benefit young cello students, particularly those aiming to become solo artists. The Guilhermina Suggia Gift has, over the past 50 years, been awarded to some of the world's foremost cellists including Jacqueline Du Pré, Steven Isserlis, Robert Cohen, Raphael Wallfisch and Julian Lloyd Webber and more recently, rising young cellists Guy Johnston and Bartholomew La Follette.

The next closing date for applications will be in Autumn 2010 and further details will be available on the website from Summer 2010.

To find the right award for you check out the Funding Wizard