The Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation Royal College scholarships for 2013/14 have been announced. The annual scholarships carry a grant of £10,000 and are offered to students attending the Royal College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music. They are awarded in conjunction with Dame Kiri.
South African born Soprano Filipa van Eck has completed her second year of study at RCM, studying for her post graduate Artist Diploma and has entered her final year at RCM nternational Opera School. She completed her BMus in Western Classical Performance and Post Graduate Diploma in Opera at the University of Capetown before commencing her studies at RCM. At the RCM, Filipa has performed the roles of Laurette in Bizet's Le Docteur Miracle, Fortuna in Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Rosmene in Handel's Imeneo (for the London Handel Festival) and most recently Gabrielle in Offenbach's La Vie Parisienne. She has sung in masterclasses at the RCM with Dame Anne Evans, Christine Brewer and Roger Vignoles. Commenting on the scholarship announcement, Nicholas Sears, Head of Vocal Studies at RCM said 'Filipa is an outstandingly talented, musical and personable young performer. Michael Rosewall and I believe that the support and mentorship generously offered by Dame Kiri and the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation will enable Filipa to enter the next stage of her professional development with confidence and pride'.