By Theresia Titus
St Mary’s Cathedral Music Program is inviting new applicants for 2020 FJ Larner Organ Scholarship, which sets to close on Friday 6 March.
Valid for one year with possibility of renewing annually up to three years, the Scholarship is open to applicants aged 14 to 21, who are not required to have any prior studies on the organ but expected to have achieved at least sixth grade in piano proficiency.
Since the Scholarship was established in 2009, St Mary’s Cathedral Music Program has produced three Organ Scholars.
The auditions will be held at St Mary’s Cathedral on 24 March and the Organ Scholar is announced just before Easter.
The first Organ Scholar, Chadwick Beins, is now Director of Music at St Norbert’s College while Pia Schelfhout (Organ Scholar from 2013 to 2016) has become Assistant Organist here at Perth’s Cathedral.
Speaking to The Record, Morgan May, former Organ Scholar who received the scholarship in 2018 and has continued her journey into University, said the program “is a very valuable experience other institutions don’t offer”.
“It is different to learn it at St Mary’s Cathedral because you really get into Church music,” Ms May said.
“It is valuable for young musicians who want to learn liturgical music and very different from learning the instrument at schools or even private lessons because you get practical exposure through Mass and community events.”
Jacinta Jakovcevic, Director of Music at St Mary’s Cathedral, said the scholarship “seeks to promote and introduce the pipe organ to a new generation of organists”.
“It is basically akin to a training program [almost like a type of ‘apprenticeship’] focussing on the Organ Scholar’s development as a proficient musician functioning in Catholic liturgy – the role of both the pipe organ and the organist is emphasised coupled with an appreciation of the organ’s power to enrich and enhance liturgical proceedings,” Ms Jakovcevic explained.
“The Scholarship provides for the successful applicant to have lessons from the Principal Organist of St Mary’s Cathedral and training sessions – these sessions include training in various areas such as accompaniment of cantors, congregations, choir; and skills such as how to run effective choir rehearsals, etc. – they, therefore, spend time rehearsing with the Cathedral Choir and Cantors to attain expertise and knowledge in these areas and eventually plays for some liturgies, too.
“The Organ Scholar also has practice access to the Cathedral’s pipe organs,” she added.
Ms Jakovcevic understands that pipe organ is not a musical instrument many young people are familiar with and is excited for them “to experience this instrument which has been at the heart of the Church’s music for many centuries”.
“Amongst the various programs we run here as part of the Cathedral’s Music program I always think of this one as one of the most important; documents emanating from the Second Vatican Council refer to the musical tradition of the Church as containing ‘a treasure of inestimable value’,” she continued.
“So when you take this into account, we can see the level of importance the Church places on music – and we, musicians, obviously have a vitally important role and indeed duty and responsibility to the Church.
“And so I think it’s important to extend these opportunities [such our Organ Scholarship] especially to our young musicians to help them learn about the amazing musical heritage of the Church – and become versed with the amazing amount and variety of skills that enable them to enrich our liturgies,” she concluded.
For more information or to apply for the FJ Larner Organ Scholarship, contact 08 9223 1377 or music.cathedral@perthcatholic.org.au.