Samro scholarship winners announced
PARKTOWN – Samro announces 2016 scholarship winners following breathtaking performances.
Following an impressive performance by 12 finalists, the two winners of the 2016 South African Music Rights Organisation (Samro) overseas scholarships have been announced.
The finale took place at the Linder auditorium in Parktown and saw Linda Sikhakhane (jazz music) and Dylan Tabisher (western art music) beat out stiff competition to claim the coveted prize in the instrumentalist category.
The two each walked away with an overseas scholarship worth R200 000, allowing the two young instrumentalists to pursue career-enhancing music studies or master classes at an international institution of their choice.
Sikhakhane (24), based in Johannesburg, and Tabisher (28), based in Cape Town proved that persistence and hard work eventually pays off, as both had entered the Samro competition four years ago but left empty-handed at the time.
The two also won R5 000 on the night for the best performance of a prescribed South African composition.
Speaking at the electrifying finale was Samro Foundation managing director, André le Roux, who praised the noteworthy performances and paid tribute to the country’s strong female role models.
“We also pay tribute to the four placard bearers who upstaged the President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, with a powerful piece of performance art, [showing that] the arts speak in ways that others can’t and where words fail, music speaks,” he said.
Benjamin Jephta, in the jazz category, and Sally Minter, in the western art music category, were named runners-up, taking home a whopping R70 000.
The Samro overseas scholarship competition has been held every year since 1962 and alternates between awards for vocalists, instrumentalists, keyboard players (pianists and organists) and composers.
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