Award Enables Royal Academy Study For Clarinettist

4 July 2007

Award Enables Royal Academy Study For Clarinettist

Clarinettist Ellen Deverall, a Victoria University of Wellington first-class honours graduate, is the winner of the Patricia Pratt Scholarship in Musical Performance for 2007 and as a result will now study at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

Deborah Rawson, her tutor at the New Zealand School of Music (a Victoria-Massey University collaboration), describes Ellen as the best young clarinettist she has seen in 30 years of teaching.

At the Royal Academy, Ellen’s primary teacher will be Angela Malsbury, principal clarinet of the London Mozart Players, with lessons from other notable clarinettists including Timony Lines, principal and Eb clarinet with the London Symphony Orchestra.

Ellen is the ninth major winner of the Patricia Pratt Scholarship established by Annette Campbell-White in memory of her mother. A New Zealander, Ms Campbell-White now resides in the United States and funds the scholarship through the Kia Ora Foundation.

Administered by the NZ Vice-Chancellors’ Committee, the Patricia Pratt Scholarship aims to assist outstanding music performers who have completed an honours degree in musical performance in this country to continue their development at an international music school.

This year’s award is worth US$19,500 for Ellen’s first year of study abroad and will assist her professional development which has already seen her play with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra,Vector Wellington Orchestra and New Zealand Youth Orchestra.

At the Royal Academy, Ellen will pursue a two-year postgraduate diploma in clarinet performance and it is her intention to convert the diploma into a masters degree in her second year, ensuring an academic component to her qualification.

Her focus lies with orchestral playing and when Ellen completes her postgraduate study she wants to audition for a professional orchestra, supplementing that ambition with chamber ensembles, solo performances and collaborations with composers on new works. Her goal is to return to this country, be it in the short term if the opportunity presents, or in any event the long term to continue her music profession.

From the Auckland suburb of Northcote, Ellen attended Birkenhead College and was principal clarinet in the NZ Secondary Schools’ Symphony Orchestra. Her outstanding academic record at Victoria included A passes in six papers during her third year and A plus passes in four subjects during her honours year. Ellen’s academic success has been recognised by a number of other scholarships and prizes, including a Royal Academy of Music Entrance Scholarship

The Kia Ora Foundation has also made a grant of US$31,000 to mezzo-soprano Madeleine Pierard (the 2006 Patricia Pratt Scholar) for her second year of study abroad and a second supplementary grant of US$19,500 to viola player Serenity Thurlow.

ENDS

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