Thankyou for your interest in applying for the Clarence Jazz Festival 2025 Scholarship! Before you fill out this form, please take a moment to read the following information.
2025 marks the 29th year that the Clarence City Council has produced the Clarence Jazz Festival, and the 15th year that it has supported the development of the next generation of musical talent through the Scholarship program.
The selection process for the scholarship takes place in 2 stages. Stage 1 is this application. In this application you'll be asked to provide a video of you performing up to 10 minutes of music, along with answering a few questions about yourself and your interest in jazz.
If you are successful in this stage you will be invited to audition with a live rhythm section of professional musicians at the UTAS Hedburg Centre in front of a panel of Clarence Arts and Events staff and UTAS music faculty. This audition will take place on Wednesday the 4th of September. You will be allocated a 25 minute window between 1pm and 4pm. If you are unable to attend this second round audition please indicate this in your application and we'll endeavour to find a suitable replacement time.
Previous scholars have gone on to forge extremely successful international and national careers in music, but we want to emphasise that non-successful applicants have also done so. We encourage you to apply; even if you're unsuccessful this time there is enourmous value in going through this process, and we will be available to offer feedback.
In 2025 Clarence Jazz Festival Scholars will receive:
- 2 X masterclasses with the 2025 Clarence Jazz Festival Ambassador (To be announced shortly - as per usual this one's going to be seriously cool).
- 5 X one-on-one tuition sessions with a local jazz legend of your choosing.
- 4 X intensive group workshops with jazz masters, developing skills in bandleading, performance and collaboration.
- 3 X Rhythm section sessions to develop your jazz festival performances.
- Feature performances at Clarence Swinging Christmas @ Rosny Farm (December 2024), Clarence Jazz Festival Opening event , Mainstage performance at the CJF Big Day and the Clarence Jazz Festival Closing Event.
- Opportunities to jam and collaborate with UTAS jazz students, your fellow scholars and other local and interstate artists accross the jazz festival.
- 2 X VIP passes to the entire Clarence Jazz Festival program.
- Mentorship from Katy Raucher and Clarence Arts and Events Staff, developing skills in stagecraft, improvisation techniques and network building.
Applicants are advised of the following timeline (subject to change with reasonable notice):
23rd July 2024: EOIs open
23rd August 2024: EOIs close
26th August 2024: Round 1 successful applicants notified
4th September 2024: Round 2 auditions
6th September 2024: Scholars selected and notified
10th September 2024: Media call and first workshop
10th September - 7th December: Season one of Scholarship
7th December 2024: Performance @ Swinging Christmas @ Rosny Farm
15th January - 19th February: Season two of Scholarship
20th February-23rd Feburary: Clarence Jazz Festival 2025!
To be eligible to apply you must:
- Be between 15 and 21 years of age and actively studying music (either at a high school, college or university level). Whilst grade 11 and 12 students tend to get the most advantage from the scholarship, we invite all applicants between this age range to apply!
- Be available from the 20th-23rd February 2025 for Jazz Festival appearances. All other dates are negotiable with Clarence Arts and Events Staff.
- Be prepared to use email as the primary method of communication.
- Be punctual and organised for all masterclasses, sessions, rehearsals and performances.
- Be available for media appearances where sufficient notice is given.
- Liaise with your tutors and mentor to find mutually suitable times and dates for your tuition sessions.
SELECTION CRITERIA: Successful applicants should address the following criteria in their application:
Musicianship: The applicant demonstrates a high level of musicianship, technical facility and jazz language for their stage of musical development. The applicant has a foundational understanding of improvisation within a jazz context.
Interest in jazz: The applicant demonstrates an interest in the stylistic, cultural, historical and social contexts of jazz music.
Collaborative ability: The applicant demonstrates a reasonable level of ability to play with others, or demonstrates willingness to develop this skill.
Benefit to applicant: The applicant demonstrates a reasonable intention and interest in pursuing further musical development beyond the lifetime of the scholarship. The applicant demonstrates an awareness of what they’d like to achieve from the scholarship opportunity. The applicant’s expectation matches what the scholarship offers.
If you've got any questions, or require help with any part of this application, please get in touch with Stevie or Bek on 6217 9620 during business hours.
Good luck with your application- we can't wait to hear from you!