Young composers awarded overseas scholarships by the the Samro Foundation
PARKTOWN – Two young composers were awarded R200 000 scholarships by the Samro Foundation.
Local composers were celebrated and awarded at the South African Music Rights Organisation (Samro) Overseas Scholarships Competition for Composers held at the Linder Auditorium in Parktown on 18 August.
A University of Cape Town (UCT) graduate, Andrew Hoole and current UCT student Conrad Asman, each walked away from the event with R200 000 in scholarships to further their postgraduate studies and develop professionally abroad.
The gala concert featured other finalists including University of KwaZulu-Natal alumnus Riley Giandhari, who received a R70 000 runner-up award in the jazz category for his composition Answer the Call and Stellenbosch University graduate Lisa Morrison who also received a R70 000 runner-up award in the Western Art Music category and a R30 000 Samro special award for indigenous African Music in her category.
It showcased the work of young jazz composer and competition semi-finalist Ndabo Zulu who received a R30 000 indigenous African Music Award in the jazz category.
Managing director at the Samro foundation, André le Roux said, “This event is about celebrating young people on an important journey to compose music and doing our bit to fight for South African music.”
Marcus Wyatt and the ZAR Jazz Orchestra performed Hoole’s winning compositions Bombero Suite and Kind of Cool. Hoole explained that his decision to pursue composition stemmed from the fact that it is timeless. He wishes to travel to the US with his prize.
Asman’s victorious composition Shisa Nyama was performed by the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Kutlwano Masote. He explained that the idea for this party piece came from thinking about how South Africans share in a festival feast at a braai, bringing together a variety of flavours.
“Winning this scholarship means that my future plans to pursue a postgraduate degree overseas can become a reality. These programmes often tend to exceed the limitations of a typical South African due to the exorbitant fees and expenses.
“This scholarship also allows me to attend new music festivals to help expose my music to others and for me to learn from international composers,” said Asman.
“I feel that in order for any composer to succeed, one needs to consistently find, produce, fund and execute every opportunity one receives when it comes to creating new music. I would like to wholeheartedly continue this process with the support of the Samro Foundation.”
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