The 2010 Scholarship
The Wagner Society of Scotland Bayreuth Scholarship for 2010 has been awarded to Rosemary Sims. Rosemary was born in Scotland and is currently a design student in the Technical and Production Arts Department of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. This is the fist time our Scholarship has been awarded to a student in training to be a set and costume designer. Our committee has always felt it important to comply with Richard Wagner's intention that young people interested in all aspects of theatre (not only singers) should have the opportunity to attend his Festival without cost. In previous years, since we were able to fund a scholarship, we have sent an instrumentalist, a conductor, and four singers to experience the Bayreuth Festival. Rosemary Sims celebrates her 20th birthday this month and so is at an ideal age, at this point in her studies, to gain great benefit from observing the magnificent technical and design resources employed at Bayreuth. We wish her a happy and rewarding trip to attend Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Lohengrin, and Parsifal. She will also have the opportunity to enjoy the company of young Scholars from all over the world and enjoy the other events laid on by the Scholarship Foundation.
About the Scholarship
This annual scholarship is offered by the Wagner Society of Scotland, in association with the Richard Wagner Scholarship Foundation [Richard-Wagner-Stipedienstiftung] in Bayreuth, to a singer, instrumentalist, conductor or a student of those subjects, or of theatre studies including design and stage management, aged between 18 and 35 years old. Candidates must be professional musicians (or persons with a career in an aspect of theatre production) resident in Scotland, or Scottish-born students of any of the above subjects still at college or university, or full-time students (of any nationality) at a Scottish educational establishment. The successful applicant receives tickets for the Bayreuth Festival, a programme of tours and events there, and funds to defray the cost of travel expenses.
What are the aims of the Scholarship?
Wagner conceived of his festival in Bayreuth as a people's festival along the lines of those that took place in ancient Greece. Thus he wanted to make attendance completely free as had then been the case. Since this was not possible for understandable reasons, in 1882, a year before his death, he established a new fund that should facilitate "free attendance, if necessary including travel and accommodation costs for friends of my art" who visit the festival. Thus the Richard Wagner Scholarship Fund was established. It aims to broaden and deepen the notion of the Bayreuth Festival. To achieve this it enables attendance at several performances for "gifted up-and-coming musicians, singers or other artists, who might come into consideration in due course for the orchestra or stage at the Bayreuth Festival". Today this is financed with contributions from Wagner Societies around the world who are affiliated to the International Association of Wagner Societies [Richard-Wagner-Verband-International]. The Gesellschaft der Freunde von Bayreuth also gives a subsidy.
The 2011 Scholarship
Details of the benefits of the 2011 Scholarship, and how to apply, will be posted on this site in the autumn.
