At the dress rehearsal for tonight's concert on Thursday morning, 4 April, nine young music students received a financial boost from the Friends. Along with a number of other music students, they participated in the so-called ”stunt competition”. The Friends and the Music Conservatory support the initiative by awarding prizes to the winners.
The aim of the competition is to prepare young people to win the competition for a job in an orchestra when they graduate from the programme. They play for musicians in the Danish National Symphony Orchestra as they would in real rehearsals, and the DR jury gives them feedback and other good advice to prepare them to score an orchestra place when the time comes. As mentioned, the stunt competition only offers small cash prizes. No jobs.
Four of the nine winners were unable to attend, but the other five each received an envelope on stage in the Concert Hall during the break in today's rehearsal.
It was the head of DR's Choirs and Orchestras, Kim Bohr, who presented the awards. And he made no secret of the fact that the prizes should encourage the students to apply to join the Danish National Symphony Orchestra when they graduate from the academy.
The winners of the three award groups were
The improvement prize of DKK 3000 was awarded.
Kaja Marie Andersen, flute
Klaes Breiner Nielsen, timpanist
Veronica Isabelle Stubberod, oboe
Auri Lampela, horn
Felix Reiter, violin
Kim Bohr was able to explain to the 1000 members of the Friends' Association what the rather strange name, the Improvement Award, is all about.
- The award is given to some of the talented students who we have asked to come back and play the same repertoire for us the week after the stunt competition - with the jury's comments in mind - In other words, the Improvement Awards go to those we think have shown that they have great potential and have developed remarkably in a very short time
The encouragement prize of DKK 4,000 went to:
Kristine Brennesvik Karlsen - trumpet
which received these words from Kim Bohr
We created a special award for a talent that the jury felt needed special encouragement
The three winners of the Stunt Competition as a whole each received DKK 7,000. The prizes are awarded to one from each of the three groups: percussion, strings and brass.
This is Nikolai Jakob Petersen, timpanist
Christine Emilie Bernsted, violin
Pernille Furnes Alsos, trombone
On behalf of themselves and the four absent students, the five recipients on stage received good wishes for the future and a touch from the orchestra.