Five talented composers and musicians have been awarded scholarships by Creative New Zealand to pursue study or professional development opportunities overseas.

New Zealand/Aotearoa Music Scholarships

Hanna Darroch has been awarded an $8,000 scholarship to support her Doctorate of Music at McGill University in Montreal, Canada and Benson Wilson has been awarded $8,000 towards a postgraduate course in drama opera at the Guildhall School of Music in London.

• Hannah is majoring in flute performance with the Montreal Symphony’s principal flute, Timothy Hutchins, as tutor. She will also be comparing indigenous music and its links with classical works, specifically Māori music, as well as using the university’s research laboratory to investigate the mechanics of breathing and playing the flute.
• Benson is one of just 12 people accepted each year for the Drama Opera Course at the Guildhall. Benson will also work with David Gowland who directs the Royal Opera House Young Artist Programme. Benson has performed with Sir Simon Rattle and the London Symphony Orchestra and, last year, was a mentor for the Festival Opera youth engagement programme in Napier.

This scholarship was established in 2011 with a bequest from the estate of the late Brent Lewis. It is for young musicians to study or gain further musical experience at a tertiary institution in New Zealand or overseas. 

Jack McGill Music Scholarship

Lorelle McNaughton has been awarded $10,000 to support her final year of study towards a Masters in Spanish Piano at the Marshall Academy in Spain. The course has classes in Barcelona and Madrid, and they include flamenco. Lorelle established a Spanish Music and Dance Festival in Sydney and intends to establish a similar festival in New Zealand.

This scholarship was established in 1985 with a bequest from the estate of the late Jack Wynnegate McGill. It is for advanced studies or investigations into music in an international setting.

Edwin Carr Foundation Scholarship

Salina Fisher has been awarded $9,151 towards a Masters in Music in composition from the Manhattan School of Music in New York and Ashton Sellers will receive $2,849 towards a Masters of Music in jazz guitar and composition at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam in The Netherlands.

• Salina is studying composition. In 2016 Salina was the youngest recipient of the SOUNZ Contemporary Award and, prior to that, was the Composer-in-Residence with the NZSO National Youth Orchestra and Young Composer-in-Residence for the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.
• Ashton will have composition lessons from Yaniv Nachman and Johan Plomp of the internationally renowned jazz and pop orchestra the Metropole Orkest and masterclasses and individual lessons with leading jazz saxophonist Steve Lehman. Ashton is also interested in non-Western improvising techniques by Carnatic music masters from India.

The Edwin Carr Foundation was established in 2004 with interest from the estate of New Zealand composer the late Edwin Carr. It enables young composers to further their studies overseas.