The Sydney Conservatorium of Music has accepted the
largest-ever donation made to an Australian performing arts institution. A$16 million has been given to the school from the estate of the late pastoralist George Wallace Henderson.
The money will fund post-graduate and early career scholarships for Australian musicians and singers who want to train here and overseas.
The Conservatorium's Martin Portus says it will also pay for the school's first endowed teaching position.
"This is an exciting thing, where the Sydney Conservatorium of Music can follow in the path of other great, world-class music training schools which is where you have endowed, from private money, teaching positions that you have the flexibility to bring master musicians into teach and inspire students of excellence," he said.
Mr. Portus also says Mr. Henderson and his wife, Margaret, were great opera lovers and keen travellers. "He knew that in North America and Europe, musicians there have many more opportunities for that kind of training and development in their career than they do here," he said.
"He's changed that a lot today for Australian musicians."
See http://www.abc.net.au
