With the generosity of many donors, Early Music America is pleased to be able to offer scholarships ($750 each) to students attending early music workshops in the United States and Canada.
Eligible applicants
Open to high school, undergraduate, or graduate students, enrolled full time in the spring term of application for the scholarship. Applicants may be of any nationality studying in a North American institution or North American citizens studying abroad. Priority is given to applicants who have not previously received awards.
Eligible workshops
Eligible workshops include any North American workshop sponsored or endorsed by a major early music organization, such as (but not limited to): American Recorder Society, Amherst Early Music, Aston Magna, Country Dance & Song Society, Early Music Vancouver, Historic Brass Society, Historical Harp Society, Lute Society of America, Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute, San Francisco Early Music Society, Viola da Gamba Society of America.
Deadline & Application
All materials must be received by April 15, 2012.
Our required method of receiving your application and recordings is online through our ArtsApp portal, www.artsapp.com/earlymusicamerica. (This link will activate beginning March 1, 2012.)
After registering with ArtsApp, you may upload your recording. Our portal at www.artsapp.com/earlymusicamerica (active March 1, 2012) accepts the following formats:
- Audio: .mp4, .m4a, .mp3
- Video: .asf, .avi, .flv, .mov, .m4v, .mp4, .mpg, .mvb, .swf, .wmv
- Images: .gif, .png, .jpg, .jpeg
- Docs: .doc, .docx, .pdf, .xls
Total portfolio size must be under 6GB, with a maximum file size of 1.5GB. Please upload EACH PIECE as its own file.
For technical support with your ArtsApp submission, contact support@artsapp.com. The submission fee for sending materials through ArtsApp is $10 per application, payable on the ArtsApp Web site.
Application dates for the Workshop Scholarship competition are from March 1, 2012 – April 15, 2012. If you upload video, please use a broadband connection (plugin your computer, not just wifi) and allow up to 45 min for a 250 MB video to upload.
Required materials include
- Statement of Sponsorship (letter of recommendation) from a professional music teacher, signed and attached as a PDF.
- Essay (no more than 300 words). Describe your background on your instrument or with early music performance in general, give us both your short-term and long-term goals in early music, where you see yourself five years from now, explain why you want or need a scholarship and what you hope to get out of the workshop you're applying to, and provide any other information you think will be helpful.
- 15 minutes (total) of audio and/or video files, demonstrating applicant's performance on the instrument/voice/dance to be studied; the files should be unedited, preferably from a live performance (with applause deleted). Include 3-5 short selections if possible. The applicant should be the "featured" performer in all selections.
- List of pieces included in the audition files.
Judging
Winners are chosen by members of the EMA Early Music in Higher Education Committee and announced on May 15. We plan to award ten scholarships this year.
Prize
Each scholarship consists of $750 plus one year's Student Membership in EMA. Number of scholarships awarded each year depends on the amount donated by generous patrons. An EMA membership will also be awarded to each winner's sponsoring teacher.