Four young New Zealanders have been awarded with the 2013 Charles Wilkinson Annual Scholarships for excellence in examinations. Andrew Derby (Grade 4 Clarinet), Jinal Mehta (Grade 8 Flute), Niamh Lovelock (Grade 7 Piano) and Rebekah Hakiwai (Grade 3 Piano) were presented with the awards this month.
The scholarships are awarded by the trust of Charles Wilkinson, which was set up in 1974 to support young local musicians and to encourage them to continue to develop their talents. Charles Wilkinson was an enthusiastic amateur flute and oboe player and on his death in 1996, he left sufficient funding to enable the Trustees to offer grants for exam and tuition fees, the purchase of new instruments, as well as examination scholarships.
The annual scholarships are chosen by the visiting examiner and junior and senior scholarships are awarded for each exam session. The Trust helps over 60 families a year.