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International Musicians Seminar

Gordon Clark Memorial Scholarship Trust

About the Gordon Clark Memorial Scholarship Trust Fund

IMS Prussia Cove has the privilege to oversee the running of a trust fund in the name of Gordon Clark, which supports one or two bursaries every year for the IMS Prussia Cove Masterclasses.


Gordon Clark

In 1981 the late John Lang, then Dean of Lichfied, asked Gordon Clark, then Director of Music at Abbotsholme School, to create an annual arts festival centred on the Cathedral in Lichfield. Gordon had founded the Abbotsholme Arts Society back in 1968 and this had proved to be a very successful venture. Year after year Gordon managed to entice some of the world's greatest and some of the most promising artists to travel to rural Staffordshire. Many of these musicians have been connected to IMS Prussia Cove, including András Schiff, Ferenc Rados and Steven Isserlis, who is now the Patron of the Abbotsholme Arts Society.  Gordon brought the same energy and flair to the Lichfield Festival and the early success of the Festival was a tribute to his talents. 

The Fund

Gordon died suddenly in New York in August 1989. His friends wondered how best to remember him. The discovery and encouragement of young musicians was of key importance to Gordon and so a Trust Fund was launched with a concert given by Paul Tortelier. Friends and sponsors of Abbotsholme and the Festival donated generously to the fund. Since 1992 a scholarship has been awarded annually to a promising student. The award provides a bursary for the selected student/s to attend the annual IMS Prussia Cove Masterclasses, and guarantees a recital at either the Abbotsholme Arts Society, or the Lichfield Festival, to help them launch their professional careers. 

Gordon Clark Memorial Scholars

 

1992 Alan Darling, piano

1993 Lucy Waterhouse, violin

1994 Cathy Rimer,  cello

1995 Alasdair Tait, cello, Charles Owen, piano, Lisa Ferguson, violin

1996 Alice Neary, cello, Priya Mitchell, violin

1997 Thomas Carroll, cello

1998 Susan McKee, cello

1999 So-Ock Kim,violin

2000 Tom Dunn, viola

2001 Fiorini String Quartet

2002 Noam Greenberg, piano, Marie Bittloch, cello, Daniel Bard, violin

2003 -

2004 Shlomy Dobrinsky, violin, Mei Yi Foo, piano, Nicholas Trygstad, cello, Marisa Gupta, piano

2005 Ani Kalayjian, cello

2006 Agon Piano Trio

2007 Florence Cooke, violin, Daniel Tong, piano

2008 Christian Elliott, cello, James Baillieu, piano, Charlotte Scott, violin 

2009 Linda Baerlund, violin

2010 Shana Douglas, violin

2011 Mikhail Nemtsov, cello, Elena Nemtsova, piano             

2012 Jean-Sélim Abdelmoula, piano

2013 Prach Boondiskulchok, piano, Oliver Cave, violin, Savitri Grier, violin

2014 Richard Uttley, piano, Rosalind Ventris, viola

2015 Trio Isimsiz – Pablo Hernan Benedí, violin, Michael Petrov, cello, Erdem Misirlioglu piano

2016 Barbican Quartet - Amarins Wierdsma, Ionel Manciu, violin,  Christoph Slenczka, viola, Yoanna Prodanva, cello

2017 Yoanna Prodanova, cello, Mihai Ritivoiu, piano

2018 Ariana Kashefi, cello

2019 Irène Duval, violin