Young musicians compete for $16,000 in prizes at the Finals of the NACO Bursary Competition 2003 on June 2
May 22, 2003 -
Ottawa, Canada -- Up to eight young musicians from the region will
compete for prizes totaling $16,000 at the final auditions of the
2003 NAC Orchestra Bursary Competition to be held on Monday, June 2
at 19:00 in the National Arts Centre Studio. These finalists will be
selected from applicants who perform in recital at preliminary
auditions held before a jury of National Arts Centre Orchestra
musicians and guest members at the NAC on May 31 and June 1. The
winners will be announced and presented with cheques and certificates
after the June 2 concert. The NACO Bursary is offered to music
students in or from the region aged 16 to 24 who are following a
recognized course of music study in preparation for careers as
professional orchestral musicians.
Admission is $2.00 with all proceeds going to the NAC Orchestra
Bursary Trust Fund. Additional donations to the Fund are greatly
appreciated.
This year's Bursary Committee is chaired for the second year
by Vernon G. Turner, Canada's former Ambassador to the USSR and
an active volunteer at the National Arts Centre. In 1997, he chaired
the Gala Committee for the NAC's first major gala fundraiser,
An Evening with Jessye Norman, and subsequently served as a
member of the Black and White Opera Soirée Committee in 1999,
2000 and 2001.
The NACO Bursary Trust Fund was established in 1979 to commemorate
the 10th anniversary of the founding of the National Arts
Centre Orchestra and to thank the people of the National Capital
Region for their support during the Orchestra's first decade. The top
prize is the NACO Bursary of $6,000 funded by the NAC. A second
NAC-funded prize of $1,500 is the Vic Pomer Award named for the late
NACO violinist. The NACO Bursary Committee also has available three
additional prizes to be awarded at its discretion: the Harold
Crabtree Foundation Award of $5,000, and the National Arts Centre
Orchestra Association Award of $3,000, created in 1993 to celebrate
the Orchestra's 25th season, and the Piccolo Prix of
$500 was initiated in 2001 by Pasqualina (Pat) Adamo.
