Congratulations to recipients of Kelson and Penelope Thwaites Music Awards
Last Friday, Mr Michael Kelson visited Tintern to present this year’s Kelson Music Scholar Awards and the Penelope Thwaites Music Awards to five talented musicians. This year he was joined by his daughter, Mrs Kate Butterworth, as Michael’s wife, Lyn, who usually accompanies him to these events sadly passed away last December. We were very grateful that Kate was able to join her father at this auspicious event. The awards are in their eighteenth year and honour the memory of Mrs Ilma Kelson (Mr Michael Kelson’s mother), who was Director of Music at Tintern from 1958 to 1973.
In honour of her memory, the Kelson Family has provided annual encouragement scholarships to be awarded to support the tuition of students in the pursuit of their music education. In addition to the Ilma Kelson Music Scholar Awards, the Kelson Family also initiated additional Music Scholarships twelve years ago in honour of Ms Penelope Thwaites. Ms Thwaites, who is a world-famous pianist, was a student at Tintern from 1953 to 1960 and was School Pianist during her final three years at the school. She attended Tintern during the time Mr Kelson’s mother was Director of Music at the school.
This year’s recipients of the Awards are as follows:
Kelson Scholar Awards
Outstanding Senior Performer – Helen Yang (Year 9) – Piano
Music Scholar Encouragement Award – Etienne Meddings (Year 7) – Double Bass
Music Scholar Encouragement Award – Averil Lee (Year 6) – Clarinet
Penelope Thwaites Music Awards
Best Performance of an Australian Composition – Sophie Liu (Year 7) – Flute Australian Composition
Original Composition Award – Sebastian Humphrys (Year 7) – Piano
Congratulations to this year’s joint recipients of the Ron Trigg Jazz Musician Award
The Ron Trigg Jazz Musician Award is named after former Tintern Director of Music Ron Trigg, who commenced at Tintern in 1987 and gave 18 years of inspiring service to the Music Department, especially in the areas of ensemble development and promotion of the jazz genre.
Each year the Ron Trigg Jazz award is presented to senior students who have participated actively in rehearsals, workshops and performances of at least one of Tintern Grammar’s Jazz Ensembles for at least two years, and have demonstrated considerable commitment and contribution to the Jazz Program.
With the absence of a Friends of Music Jazz Night, at which this award would normally have been presented, the join recipients of this year’s award will be acknowledged in the Celebration Evening video and on the Award’s perpetual shield, which is housed in the CM Wood Centre. We are hopeful that these students will be able to attend the 2022 Jazz Night and perform in an Alumni Jazz Band made up of students from the past 2 years who have missed out on two consecutive Jazz Nights, due to the COVID lockdowns.
Congratulations to this year’s recipients – Milly Kenny and Sam Victoria
