Prize details

Victoria University of Wellington Ensemble Music Performance Award

Value:

This award is made through an endowment and so the amount available each year will depend on the funds available.

Closing date:

Eligibility

The prize was established by a private donor, via the Victoria University of Wellington Foundation, in 2016, to recognise excellence in ensemble playing and to cultivate a love of classical chamber music by undergraduate students at Victoria University of Wellington's Te Koki New Zealand School of Music.

Information

Purpose of award

The purpose of this prize is to recognise and reward groups of undergraduate students at the New Zealand School of Music who excel at classical chamber music ensemble performance.

Selection criteria

(1) The award will be made annually to an ensemble (or, when funds allow, to more than one ensemble) that demonstrates excellence in classical music ensemble playing, with the available funds split equally between the student members of the winning ensemble.
(2) The award will be made to ensembles formed predominantly of undergraduate students.
(3) The group members' ability to listen effectively, to balance their instrumental and/or vocal lines, to work collegially as part of a team in rehearsal and performance, and to produce an excellent musical performance will be the criteria on which the award is decided.
(4) Ensembles eligible to receive the award will perform programmes in the tradition of classical chamber music.
(5) Where necessary, priority will be given to duos, trios, quartets and quintets over ensembles of other sizes.
(6) Where no suitable ensemble is available for selection in a given year, the available funds can, at the discretion of the decision makers, be rolled over to the next academic year.
(7) Previous winners are eligible to receive the award on subsequent occasions if they are judged to meet the criteria for the award.

Number of prizes to be awarded each year:

This award is made through an endowment and so the number of awards made each year will be dependent on the funds available. There will be at least one award per year when there are suitable candidates but when funds allow, awards may be made to more than one ensemble.

Number of years that the prize will be awarded:

The prize has been established in perpetuity, through an endowment.

Selection process and decision makers:

The decision makers will be the members of the NZSM Scholarship Committee, informed by the staff of the Classical Performance programme.

How and when do students learn of the decision?

As soon as possible after the decision has been made.

What conditions are attached to acceptance of this award?

The prize is administered by the Scholarships Office, on behalf of the Victoria University of Wellington Foundation.

Recipients are required to write a letter of thanks to the donor within a month of receiving this award.

A condition of the prize is that the winners will perform in a concert, to which the donor will be invited.