About the Scholarship
2MBS Fine Music Sydney is proud to offer the 2025 2MBS Ken Weatherley Jazz Scholarship for young, dedicated, imaginative and creative jazz musicians. One year! Ten grand! Five in cash. Are you under 30? Australian? Sydney-based? Got a plan? Applications open till Saturday 30 November 2024.
About the Scholarship
The 2MBS Ken Weatherley Jazz Scholarship supports young, outstanding musicians to further their careers in Jazz. This annual scholarship is made possible through the generous bequest of passionate Jazz music lover and former 2MBS Fine Music Sydney presenter, Ken Weatherley.
Value
Valued at $10,000, the 2025 Ken Weatherley Jazz Scholar will receive:
- $5000 cash
- $5000 promotional credit to be used for marketing activities on 2MBS Fine Music Sydney’s on-air and online marketing channels
- Access to the Fine Music Founders’ Studio for rehearsals.
Eligibility
Volunteers and Staff of 2MBS Fine Music Sydney are not eligible to apply for the scholarship.
Applicants must be:
- Between the ages of 18 and 30 on 1 July 2024
- An Australian citizen, with a principal residence in Sydney and its environs
Selection Criteria
The scholarship is not a performance competition and will be awarded to the applicant who best meets the following criteria:
- The applicant has actively demonstrated the interest, commitment and potential to have a viable career in the performance or composition of jazz music.
- The applicant has identified a detailed project or activity with the potential to significantly enhance the applicant’s career.
- The applicant has effectively demonstrated the potential value of the scholarship in terms of realising their project and proceeding with the project on a timely basis.
- The applicant has demonstrated how they envisage involving 2MBS Fine Music Sydney in the project in addition to broadcasting opportunities and how they will acknowledge the station’s support.
2025 Application Guidelines
Applications close on 30 November 2024. Applicants must complete and submit all materials using the online entry form. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.
The applicant must sign an agreement with 2MBS Fine Music Sydney acknowledging and accepting the Terms and Conditions governing the Ken Weatherley Jazz Scholarship.
Applicants must provide the names and contact details of two referees who have worked with the applicant in an educational or professional field. Written references and testimonials will not be accepted.
A budget indicating how the $5000 cash component will be spent, highlighting any other support the applicant has secured or aims to secure for the project.
Provide a link(s) to unedited recordings of the applicant’s performance or broadcast. It must demonstrate the applicant’s ability to perform in relation to the application. It does not need to be part of a proposed final concert performance or project work.
Supporting documentation including musical sketches and compositions to show proof of concept for a proposed project.
If selected as a finalist, the applicant may be invited to a follow-up interview or audition.
Meet Lauren White, our 2024 Ken Weatherley Scholar
The Ken Weatherley Jazz Scholarship was established following a generous bequest by passionate jazz lover and former 2MBS Fine Music Sydney presenter, Ken Weatherley. It supports young, outstanding jazz musicians to further their careers in jazz. Our 2024 scholar is double bassist and songstress, Lauren White.
Lauren White is a bassist and vocalist who spent her school life playing in orchestras, choirs, state music ensembles and the Schools Spectacular. At 18, she received the Jann Rutherford Award, and was mentored by jazz bassist Zoe Hauptmann, the inspiration for a career in jazz. She was a finalist for the James Morrison ‘Generations in Jazz’ Vocal Scholarship in 2018, and graduated from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2020 in Jazz Performance.