SA: Composers to vie for 2018 SAMRO scholarships

The event, presented by the SAMRO Foundation, will award two winners with R200 000 ($15 500) each towards scholarships to pursue postgraduate music studies or professional development overseas.

The composers who will compete are Ndabuzekwayo Perfect Bombo, Lise Morrison, Conrad Asman, Riley Giandhari and Andrew Hoole.

A selection of premier South African musicians will perform works by the finalists live at the Linder Auditorium.

The event will start at 7pm where the winner and runner-up in the Jazz and Western Art categories will be announced. Special awards will also be given out on the evening. 

“While the two main categories for the awards are Jazz and Western art, this year the addition of special awards for works that present indigenous African music and the late Surendran Reddy’s clazz style have been included,” the SAMRO Foundation said.

SAMRO Foundation managing director Andre Le Roux said: “We are thrilled to welcome these music creators to the SAMRO family, and excitedly await their music to come to life. This year, the application process was online and our esteemed panel of adjudicators also completed their evaluations online.

“This move to digital has made the entire process far more streamlined and precise for all concerned. We look forward to an evening of cracking new, original South African music on 18 August.”

The SAMRO Overseas Scholarships Competition rotates in its focus every four years, alternately rewarding outstanding singers, instrumentalists, keyboard players and composers. Last year, SAMRO awarded Ntando Ncgapu and Megan-Geoffrey Prins as the winners of the keyboard players competition.

For more information about the event, visit the official website.