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The Countess of Munster Musical Trust was established in 1958 by Lady Munster to help young musicians achieve their full potential towards securing careers as performers. To this end the Trustees are happy to accept applications for:
1. Study Awards
Open to instrumentalists and singers (who are looking to undertake performance-based classical or jazz music postgraduate study) as well as to composers wishing to undertake postgraduate study. Applications are now also welcomed from exceptional jazz students about to enter their final year of undergraduate study. This extension applies to jazz musicians only, from 2020.
Open to young artists who received funding from the Trust towards their studies and who have completed their studies and are either working in the music profession or looking to enter the profession.
The award is made biennially for a work which has been or is in the process of being written for music theatre, to assist with the cost of bringing it to performance. The next Assessment will take place in 2023
No, there is no age limit for applications. However, the Trust offers support towards postgraduate study only (and final year undergraduate study in the case of jazz musicians) and will not consider applications that the Trustees deem to be for professional development only.
No, but you must fulfil the following eligibility criteria:
The current policy of the Trust is to consider candidates (instrumentalists, singers & composers) for study awards who satisfy the following residency criteria:
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- The applicant has either been resident in the UK for over ten years since birth or alternatively has successfully completed (by the end of the current academic year) at least three academic years of full-time study in a UK higher education institution (University / Music Conservatoire); and
- The applicant can prove that, based on the laws and regulations in force at the closing date for applications (10 February) and his/her personal circumstances, he/she automatically has permission to continue to reside and work in the UK for at least one year following completion of higher education.
The Trustees do not support study plans which they perceive to be for the purposes of professional development only. However, if there are specific reasons why you have had a gap in your education, please make this clear on your application form.
No. The Trustees suggest that you apply to the Arts and Humanities Research Council for support (www.ahrc.ac.uk). You may also find other suitable funding bodies in our Funding Guide.
No, we only provide funding for performance-based courses only and not academic-based courses. Please see our Funding Guide which may help provide alternative sources for funding.
You cannot apply for funding for an undergraduate course (unless you are a jazz musician – see below), although you can apply whilst an undergraduate for a postgraduate course the following academic year. Alternatively, please refer to our Funding Guide (Junior Section) for possible sources of funding.
From 2020, the Munster Trust will continue to provide support for postgraduate jazz and classical music performance studies but, in addition, invites applications from exceptional jazz students about to enter their final year of undergraduate study. The extension applies to jazz musicians only.
The Trust is no longer in a position to offer support to conductors or repetiteurs. Please refer to our Funding Guide which may provide information about other sources of funding.
No. The Trust does not support Musical Theatre courses. A possible source of funding information for you could be the Council for Dance, Drama and Musical Theatre.
No. The Trust only offers support for performance based classical music and jazz courses.
Artists for the Recital Scheme are selected from amongst recipients of the Trust’s Study Awards. At audition each year, the Trustees consider whether each candidate for a Study Award might be suitable for the Recital Scheme and will inform the candidate accordingly when communicating the audition result. If you have received a Munster Trust Study Award in the past and are interested in the Recital Scheme, please contact the Operations Assistant (emily@munstertrust.org.uk).
In addition, the Trustees will consider an ensemble for the Recital Scheme but only if at least two of the members of the ensemble have previously had awards from the Munster Trust. If you would like your ensemble to be considered for the Recital Scheme, please contact the Operations Assistant (emily@munstertrust.org.uk).
No. The Trust offers support towards the tuition fees and maintenance costs of performance based musical education.
No. The Trust only offers financial support to music students undertaking performance based study at postgraduate level or final year undergraduate level in the case of jazz musicians.
Please refer to our Funding Guide (Junior Section) for possible funding bodies that may be able to help you. We also suggest that you ask the school in question what funding might be available.