Tuesday 4 October 2022

RWCMD announces new scholarship celebrating the life of Sir Geraint Evans whose centenary is this year

Edward Kim performing at the celebration of Sir Geraint Evans (Photo Kirsten McTernan)
Edward Kim performing at the celebration of Sir Geraint Evans at RWCMD (Photo Kirsten McTernan)

This year is the centenary of the great Welsh baritone, Sir Geraint Evans and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD) has been celebrating. Sir Geraint was the college's president when he died in 1992, and to mark the centenary there was a musical event, Not a bad voice and the announcement of a new full scholarship.

To inspire future singers through his example, a £150,000 fund will provide this new scholarship to one student per year in RWCMD's David Seligman Opera School for the next ten years in Sir Geraint’s name. The scholarship, which favours baritones and Welsh candidates, was announced at Not A Bad Voice at the college on 29 September 2022. The first Sir Geraint Evans Centenary Scholar is South Korean baritone, Edward Kim, who joined the opera school in 2021 and who performed at Not A Bad Voice  alongside fellow RWCMD students. 

In 2021 RWCMD also announced a programme, awarding bursaries of up to £1200 to all its new UK undergraduate students with a household income of below £30k per annum, further helping its students in financial need, encouraging diversity and giving opportunities to talented young people, whatever their financial circumstances.  

Not A Bad Voice, led by Nicola Heywood-Thomas, celebrated Sir Geraint’s life with film, singing and storytelling from those who knew him and those he continues to inspire, including Sir Geraint's sons' Huw and Alun, RWCMD director of music, Tim Rhys-Evans, RWCMD head of cocal studies, Mary King, Scottish baritone Donald Maxwell, and students of the College.

I was lucky enough to hear Sir Geraint in a number of unforgettable performances at the Royal Opera House in the early 1980s, including as Coppélius in Les Contes d'Hoffmann, Beckmesser in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, the title role in Don Pasquale and Dulcamara in L'elisir d'amore (his final operatic role at the Royal Opera House).

 Further information from the RWCMD website


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