Young Musicians’ Platform Scheme
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The Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI), in collaboration with BBC Northern Ireland (BBC NI), offers awards for young, exceptionally talented solo musicians/singers/singer-songwriters in Classical, Jazz, Contemporary and Traditional Music who are ready to enter the professional world as artists.
The financial award associated with this scheme will allow applicants to spend a sizeable amount of time learning from a master musician/ teacher/composer etc. abroad. The BBC will facilitate this scheme by offering two professional broadcast performances to six successful applicants, in the period January 2021 – December 2022.
The Young Musicians’ Platform Scheme is a biennial scheme offering a maximum of six individual awards of £5,000 plus two professional engagements arranged by BBC Northern Ireland for a broadcast chamber music/ solo recital and/or concerto performance with the Ulster Orchestra where appropriate.
Who can apply?
- Individual classical, jazz, traditional and contemporary singer-songwriters, musicians who reside in or originate from Northern Ireland;
- Lower age limit of 18 and up to an age limit of 26 for instrumental players, and 29 for singers;
- Classical, jazz and traditional musicians who have made a meaningful contribution to artistic activities in Northern Ireland;
- Applicants must have reached a high standard of public performance as indicated within the references and as demonstrated with a solo recording of two (2) contrasting works of no more than eight (8) minutes each.
The following are not eligible
- Applications for prolonged study at centres of further or higher education. However, applications involving short-term attendance at centres of further education will be considered if the proposed master/artist is accessible only through this route.
- Applications from previous recipients of a Young Musicians’ Platform award.
- Materials/equipment
How to apply?
You must apply using our online system. We will not accept applications in hard copy or by email.
Online applications may be edited, saved and returned up to the closing date.
You must submit all mandatory enclosures associated with the application at the same time as your application, ie. they must be uploaded to your online application prior to its submission. These enclosures are listed on the attachments page within the Guidance Notes and the online application.
Please ensure that you leave sufficient time to upload all documents to the system as there can be long delays as the closing deadline approaches and the system will shut down at 4.00 pm precisely on the closing date, Thursday 29 October 2020. If your complete application is not fully uploaded when the system closes, your application will not be accepted.
If you submit your application by the closing deadline, you will receive an automated email advising that your application has been successfully submitted to the system. If you do not receive this email, your application has not been submitted.