The major award of £1,200 goes Marta Fontanals-Simmons, a 25-year-old mezzo with an exceptional voice.  She was offered a place at the National Opera Studio for 2013 but has chosen instead to continue at the Guildhall, where she is currently doing her Master’s, and where in September she will embark on the two-year opera course.  Said Marta: “Thank you so very much for awarding me the main Simon Fletcher Charitable Trust Award. I am incredibly grateful.”

An award of £750 goes to Anna Harvey, a 24-year-old mezzo with an unusually rich tone, who is on the first year of her Master’s at the Royal Academy of Music and like Marta, helps fund herself with teaching and concerts. She will use the award towards the fees for her second year at the Academy. “Thank you so much – I am absolutely delighted that you have decided to offer me an award,” said Anna.  “It will be a huge help towards my second year at the Academy. “

Our third award of £500 goes to Sky Ingram, a 27-year-old soprano who has won a place at the National Opera Studio in 2013.  A striking Australian, Sky has much of her finance in place but still needs funding for singing lessons, scores, extra coaching etc.  Said Sky:  “I am so honoured to have been offered a bursary with the Simon Fletcher Charitable Trust. Thank you so much for supporting me. I hope I may proudly represent the SFCT and help uphold Simon Fletcher’s memory in my career in Opera in both the UK and in Australia.”

The 2012 award is open to singers aged 32 or below on 01/10/2012 undertaking a fulltime course of postgraduate vocal studies or advanced opera at a UK conservatoire or music college or within the training programme of a major opera company in the 2012-2013 academic year.

Entries close strictly on Friday, 23rd March, 2012. From these entries, a shortlist of candidates will be chosen for audition.  If you are selected for this shortlist, you will be notified by Friday, 30th March, 2012.  If possible, please include both your college email and your personal email address in your application, to make sure we are able to contact you easily.

The auditions for The Simon Fletcher Charitable Trust annual awards will be held on the afternoon of Saturday, 28 April, at the Craxton Studios, 14 Kidderpore Avenue, London, NW3 7SU.  Please leave the date free in case you are chosen for audition.

If you would like to apply for the 2012 Simon Fletcher Trust Annual Award, please download the application form fill it in, add a covering email (see all relevant instructions with the application form) and send to info@simonfletcher.org.uk

It is a condition of accepting an award from the Simon Fletcher Charitable Trust that the successful recipient makes one unpaid concert appearance at a fundraising event for the Trust, at a date to be mutually agreed.

Download the form here

More than 80 attended the evening of wine, supper and song which showed supporters what positive results their financial contributions are having.

The event, held at the Craxton Studios in Hampstead, London, featured this year’s SFCT award winners: Monica McGhee, Ben McAteer and Lucy Hall as well as 2007 winner Rhona McKail.

Soprano Monica began with Puccini and Lehar, then gave a wonderful rendition of a traditional Scots song arranged by MacMillan. She was followed by Ben McAteer, whose powerful baritone suited well songs with a wintry theme by Vaughan Williams and Schumann. Rhona McKail gave a virtuoso rendition of pieces by Schubert and by Bridge.  Lucy Hall ended the programme with Mozart and perfectly captured the range of emotions in an aria from Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress.

All the performers were accompanied by pianist John Reid, whom we were delighted to have with us in place of our usual accompanist Ben Frost. John’s connection with the SFCT began in 2004 when he was the accompanist at the very first Trust concert in St. John’s, Smith Square London.

We’re pleased to report that Ben is recovering well from a recent accident that has temporarily put him out of action.  We send every good wish to Ben and give our thanks to John.

Thanks are also due to associate trustee and leading UK musician Andrew Sparling, who accompanied both Rhona and Lucy on the clarinet. Andrew also shaped the evening’s programme.

The concert was followed by a superb supper prepared by Pat Syme and the staff at Joseph Catering, to whom we are indebted. The raffle which ended the evening raised considerably more than in previous years, helped in no small way by a keenly-fought auction for the prize of a week’s holiday in Umbria.

A big thank you to all who joined us on this happy occasion and to all of you: we look forward to serenading you again next year.

If you have been to a Simon Fletcher Charitable Trust soiree, you will know what a great way it is to spend an early-winter Sunday evening.  If you’ve not been before, a treat is in store.

We invite you and your friends to come to Winter Serenade 2011 which will be held at the Craxton Studios, Hampstead, on Sunday, November 13^th 2011 at 4.30pm.

The delightful evening of music, wine and supper in an elegant setting will feature the year’s Simon Fletcher Award winners, including Lucy Hall, Monica McGhee and Ben McAteer, amongst others. The performers, accompanied by John Reid, will have the chance to showcase their considerable talents whilst giving you the opportunity to hear the artistes you are supporting.

The programme of music will be followed by an exciting raffle, with the winning prize being a week’s free holiday accommodation in Umbria, Italy. Pat Syme and her team from Joseph Catering will provide the delicious buffet supper which will be accompanied by Italian wines.

The soiree is a great opportunity to have a wonderful night out whilst helping the stars of the future. The suggested contribution for the evening’s entertainment is £25 per head, with children up to the age of 15 welcomed as our guests.

Please let us know that you intend to join us by sending an email to info@simonfletcher.org.uk

We look forward to seeing you there.

With warm good wishes,

Trustees

The Simon Fletcher Charitable Trust

Our growing reputation was confirmed earlier in the year when we received the highest number of applications ever for our annual awards for young singers doing post-graduate studies at leading academies of music. This made selecting a shortlist extremely difficult. But after auditions held in May at the Craxton Studios, Hampstead, our panel were able to select three wonderful young leading artistes in the making.

An award of £1,500 was made to Lucy Hall, a 25-year-old soprano from Reading. A First class honours music graduate who has been studying on the Guildhall’s Artists Masters programme, Lucy has won a place on the prestigious 2011-12 Guildhall Opera course.

A self-funded student, Lucy is not able to receive financial support from her retired parents, one of whom is disabled. “I’m thrilled to given this award,” she said. “It will make such a difference to me completing my course and helping me on my way.”

The second award of £1000 went to another talented soprano, Monica Mcghee, 23, from London, who is about to start on the second year of her Masters in Vocal Performance at the Royal College of Music. Without receiving funding help, Monica would have been unable to continue with her studies.   “I am so very grateful to the Trust,” she said, “both for your award and for your contribution towards my studies and future career.”

The third award of £750 went to baritone Ben Mcateer, 24, from Northern Ireland, a chemistry graduate who is studying at the Guildhall.  Like Lucy, he is about to embark on the 2011-12 Guildhall Opera Course. “I’m delighted at this good news,” said Ben when told of theTrust’s decision. “I know just how fierce the competition was.”

Also during the year we were able to allocate $Aus.1000 (£Stg. 660 approx) to the Brunswick South Primary School (Melbourne, Australia) to help buy a “good condition second-hand” Yamaha U3 upright piano to replace the school’s old instrument that had been water-damaged beyond repair. Trust supporter Anna Robinson, a former colleague of Simon’s, made the application to the Trust on behalf of the school where she is a music teacher.

We can also announce that the Trust has been able to award Helen Bailey, a 2009 award winner, a top-up grant of £500.  Helen has won a place on the Royal Academy of Music opera course, one of only four sopranos to be accepted.  Helen has so far funded her studies by teaching and organising fund-raising concerts at which her fellow student singers and instrumentalists perform for free.

November 21st, 2010 saw a most successful fund-raising soiree at the Craxton Studios.  “A Winter’s Tale” featured last year’s award winners Bethany Kallan Remfry, soprano, Nicholas Agius Darmanin, tenor, Helen Sherman, mezzo soprano, Eliot Alderman, tenor, Helen Bailey, soprano and celloist Naomi Watts who had received a special award in 2009. The artistes were accompanied by Ben Frost at the piano.  As usual, a superb supper was provided by Trust friend Pat Syme and the team from Joseph Catering.

In the year ahead we look forward to the next soiree (at the Craxton Studios on Sunday, 13 November, 2011), further fund-raising, auditions in the spring of 2012 and awards made to more up-and-coming singers and instrumentalists in Simon’s name. Meantime, we thank you for your continued support. Without you none of this would have been possible.

With very best wishes from the Trustees:

Verity Fletcher, chair; Eliot Fletcher, vice-chair; Alex Rumsey, treasurer; Mary Fletcher, secretary; Brian Fletcher, press officer; Chris Loake, Deborah Jones.  And with the invaluable assistance of Andrew Sparling, Deborah Davis, Stef Syme and Cecilia Rivers.

Jemima Oosthuizen’s  mother Amanda is convinced the support given her daughter to buy a new bassoon has been invaluable.   “Without the financial help of the Simon Fletcher Charitable Trust, her dream to become a professional musician would have been fruitless,” she says.

Seeking funding for course fees or living expenses for 2011-2012?

The Simon Fletcher Charitable Trust may be able to help.

The Trust is making an award of up to £1,500 (with the possibility of further awards of up to £1,000) to a singer of any nationality aged 32 or below on 01/10/11 undertaking a full-time course of postgraduate vocal studies or advanced opera at a UK conservatoire or within the training programme of a major UK opera company in the 2011-2012 academic year.

Application procedure:
Applicants should complete the application form and submit it together with a covering letter to the Trust.

Closing date for entries:
Friday 18 March 2011

Interviews for shortlisted candidates will be held in London on Saturday, May 7th 2010.

Download 2011 application form

Immediately after, Nicholas will take on the leading role of Ernesto in the Westminster Opera Company’s production of Donizetti’s Don Pasquale at the Chateau de Panloy, Port d’Envaux, France at the beginning of August.

Viktor has also sung at La Scala and Staatsoper Berlin, as well as making appearances at the London Proms and the Salzburg Festival.  In Hamburg, he  recently sang the role of Alex Duval in Bliss by the Australian composer Brett Dean.

There’s a strong Australian connection in Hamburg:  the musical director is Simone Young. “She really supports me very much – and for that I am very grateful to her,” says Viktor.  “She is a great talent.”

Viktor is enjoying his life in Germany (before Hamburg he was with the Staatsoper Berlin).  “It is a great country to live in – very comfortable and not too stressful.  I have many friends here.  But I also miss London very much and enjoy visiting it when I can.”