SAMRO OVERSEAS SCHOLARSHIPS BEQUESTS

SAMRO/GETTLESON STRING STUDY AWARDS                    R50 000

Western Art Music

These awards, funded by a magnanimous bequest from the late Eve Gettleson, were offered for the first time in 2000, and will continue to be available every fourth year as ancillary study grants in the Western Art Music genre of the quadrennially rotating SAMRO Overseas Scholarships for Instrumentalists.  They are specifically intended for talented young Southern African string-players.  

Eve Gettleson, born in London in 1913, studied the violin in her native city under Max Rostal and others.  She made her solo debut at the age of 17 under the baton of Sir John Barbirolli in Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole at the Queen’s Hall, at that time London’s leading concert venue.  Ms Gettleson subsequently became a founder-member of the famous Philharmonia Orchestra, in which she worked under such noted conductors as Richard Strauss, Otto Klemperer and Herbert von Karajan.  In 1956 she joined the SABC Symphony Orchestra and remained a member of its violin section, and that of its successors, for a period of almost four decades, until only shortly before her death aged 82 in 1995.

The awards are open to any violinist, violist, cellist or contrabassist qualifying for the SAMRO Overseas Scholarships for Instrumentalists who reaches at least the Intermediate Round of the competition.  

SAMRO/BONHAMS INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC STUDY AWARDS            R3 000 each

 Jazz/Popular Music & Western Art Music

Bonhams, established in 1793, are one of the oldest-established London auction houses, and have one of the world’s foremost musical instrument departments.  A fine 18th-century violin, part of the Gettleson bequest, was sold by Bonhams, who have since held several series of Valuation days in South Africa.  They have generously made a proportion of their South African sales-commission available to help fund these two study awards – one for Western Art Music, and one for Jazz/Popular Music – each currently worth R3 000.

SAMRO/DE WAAL STUDY AWARD                        R7 000

Jazz/Popular Music

This award is funded by a bequest made by the song-writer, Anton de Waal (1917–1974), a member of SAMRO who also served on its Board of Directors.  Together with Nico Carstens, his frequent collaborator, Anton de Waal wrote a number of favourite South African hits, including the evergreen Zambesi.  
       

SAMRO/NOASA VOCAL STUDY AWARD                            

SAMRO/OPSA OPERA TRAINING AWARD                    R10 000

Western Art Music

The National Opera Association of South Africa (NOASA) and the Opera Society of South Africa (OPSA) were formed in the mid-1950s with similar aims of promoting operatic art in this country. In 1957, NOASA and OPSA combined to form the South African Opera Federation (SAOF), which, between 1958 and 1962, presented 12 operas in Gauteng.

Following the formation of the Performing Arts Council of the Transvaal (PACT) in 1963, SAOF suspended its production activities and was divided once more into its constituent bodies. NOASA undertook community music service, while OPSA went on to present an ‘OPSA Prize’.  Winners of the OPSA Prize in recent years have included tenor Musa Nkuna, sopranos Sally du Randt and Sally June Gain, mezzo-soprano Elza van den Heever and bass-baritone Abel Moeng, who was also winner of the SAMRO Overseas Scholarship (Western Art Music Category) in 1999.

Through the generosity of the Trustees of both NOASA and OPSA, the educational awards are offered on a regular basis as part of the SAMRO Overseas Scholarships for Singers.
                               

SAMRO/ESME WEBB BEQUEST                             R9 500 each

Jazz/Popular Music & Western Art Music

The well-known singing-teacher, Esme Webb, was born in Bristol in 1912. She performed solo roles and also did chorus work at Covent Garden Opera, as well as giving many o performances for the BBC. Webb came to South Africa with her husband in 1965, where she had a teaching studio in Johannesburg. Later, she was a founder member of the singing department at the University of the Witwatersrand.  With the late SAMRO composer-member, Eva Harvey, Webb was also actively involved in the work of a trust set up to assist young musicians. She continued to teach singing until the age of 93.

This once-off award was funded from donations made at the request of Mr Julian Denny, son of Esme Webb (Mr Denny) by mourners at his mother’s funeral.

SAMRO/FISHER AWARD                                R10 000 each

Jazz/Popular Music & Western Art Music

Cyril and Peta Fisher, who both died in 1995, were the guiding spirits of the Music Viva concert society from 1954 until its demise in 1980.  Their generous bequest has funded two keyboard study awards, one in each genre, which are offered every fourth year as part of the SAMRO Overseas Scholarships for Keyboard Players.  These awards are individually worth R10 000 each.

SAMRO/FLINK AWARD                                R30 000

Western Art Music

This award, funded by a magnanimous bequest from the late Maisie Flink, is offered every fourth year as part of the SAMRO Overseas Scholarships for Keyboard Players, and is intended to encourage promising young South African pianists.

Maisie Flink studied the piano in South Africa with various teachers, the most important of whom was Adolph Hallis, and obtained her LTCL aged only 16.  She later undertook several periods of advanced study in New York with the Russian émigré Nadia Reisenberg, who had herself been a pupil at the St Petersburg Conservatoire of the famous piano pedagogue Leonid Nikolaev.  Through Reisenberg’s mentorship, Maisie Flink gave the first South African performances of major modern Russian piano works, in addition to her acclaimed performances of a wide variety of other repertoire, not only as a concerto-soloist, but also as a recitalist, chamber-player and accompanist.

These activities were complemented by some 3 decades as a Unisa Music examiner, as well as many years – almost until her death, aged 83, in 1998 – as an active member of the South African Society of Music Teachers and the Johannesburg Musical Society.

                               

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