UK Foundation 2014/2015 Scholarships announced
Posted on 18 December 2014
The Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music recently announced their nominations for the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation (UK) scholarships which carry a grant of £10,000. The scholarships are awarded in conjunction with Dame Kiri.
Céline Forrest is a 24 year-old Welsh Soprano who has just completed her first year on the Royal Academy’s Opera Programme, having previously completed her undergraduate degree at the Academy. She studies with Iain Ledingham and Julie Julie Kennard, who say ‘Celine is a singer with formidable potential which is now being reached. Her career is going and will go from strength to strength.’
Here are extracts from a letter just received from Celine...
“I was absolutely delighted to hear that I am the recipient of this prestigious award. For a long time I have very much admired Dame Kiri Te Kanawa’s work and it really is an honour to be supported by her foundation.
This is my sixth year of study at the Academy. After growing up in Swansea, where I developed a love of classical singing and joined the Welsh National Youth Opera for several operas including the title role in The Sleeper by Stephen Deazley.
This year has been a busy one for me. I have just completed the title role in the Academy’s production of Puccini’s ‘Suor Angelica’. I had a great time studying the role, and it does seem a perfect one for me to perform because it suits my voice type. The challenge of the performances really excited me and the run went extremely well. Opera has always been a love of mine, and the highlight of the last academic year at the Academy for me was playing the role ‘Female Chorus’ in Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia, which I very much enjoyed.
I have been lucky enough to win several competitions this year including the Richard Lewis Award and as a result, I had the opportunity to perform a full son recital which was a great achievement for me. Also I won the Pavarotti Prize at the Academy which really was an honour. I have also been chosen to be Wales’ representative at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition next June, the BBC Welsh Singers Competition earlier this year. Competing in such a prestigious event is both a very exciting and daunting prospect and I look forward to it immensely.
Without the generous support from organisations such as the Foundation it would not be possible for me to achieve all of these incredible opportunities and fulfil my true potential. I am hugely grateful for you choosing me this year and hope that I can live up to your faith in my ability.”