Two composers have been awarded the Bill Whelan Bursary

Irish composer Bill Whelan presented two emerging composers with substantial music bursaries at an awards ceremony in Dublin in September. Cormac McCarthy from Cork and Aoife Ni Bhriain from Dublin are the latest recipients of the Bill Whelan International Music Bursary which was established to support Irish music students studying abroad.

The Bursary, which was launched in 2005, has assisted students to further their studies in disciplines ranging from film scoring, orchestration and music composition. The scheme is administered with the assistance of The Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO).

The bursary will enable Cormac McCarthy to undertake a Masters course in Jazz Composition at DePaul University School of Music, Chicago and Aoife Ni Bhriain will commences a Bachelor of Music degree at the Hochschule in Leipzig.

Speaking at the presentation of the awards Bill Whelan commented, “Since the Bursary began over five years ago, I have had the honour and pleasure to meet some extraordinary young musicians, many of whom have gone on to flourishing careers as practicing musicians or in the academic field. Unfortunately, this is the last year of this particular bursary, but I am hoping to continue with something similar in the near future. My congratulations and warm wishes to all who have participated over the years."

Further information on the award is available from IMRO.