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French horn player at the Faculty of Music, Oxford.
Copyright © Oxford University Images / Rob Judges Photography

Other music awards

You do not have to be a music scholar to sing in a chapel choir, and many colleges offer instrumental awards for which you can audition after you have begun your studies at Oxford.

College

Awards

Details

Balliol1

An instrumental award of £150 per annum is awarded each year for performance on any musical instrument.

Christ Church1

The competition is open to all first year undergraduate students of the college, regardless of subject.

Corpus Christi8

8 Choral Bursaries, at a value of £150 each plus singing lessons, are awarded annually for strong singers in the Chapel Choir. A Music Award to the value of £200 is also awarded in annually in Trinity Term towards the cost of music lessons and musical activity, on any instrument.

Hertford2/3

Any instrumentalist may apply for awards of £200 towards the cost of music lessons.

Jesus 

All students at Jesus may apply for financial awards throughout their degree course to support their cultural activities (for example, music or singing lessons; financial support for choir tours is in the form of generous travel grants rather than music awards). Further information is on the Jesus College website

Keble1

Candidates should be at least Grade 8 ABRSM standard and many applicants in previous years have been playing at diploma level. Duties depend on the individual but they generally go on to hold an office in the college Music Society, perhaps in charge of organising music events. Scholars receive £200 per year. The scholarship may be held for up to 3 years.

Magdalen2

Any undergraduates in their first year of study may apply. Successful candidates will receive an annual award of £200. They will be expected to play an active part in the College Music Society and to participate in concerts and/or recitals on a regular basis.

Merton 8

There are eight Music Awards worth £450pa available at any one time to both undergraduate and post-graduate students. All award holders are expected to play a leading part in College music-making. Auditions take place early in Michaelmas Term.

New

Open to first years (in any subject) with a musical ability of at least Grade 8. The award is £300 pa for the duration of the student's studies, made on the condition that the award holder will play a leading role in undergraduate music-making (such as playing in the college Orchestra or taking part in the lunch-time recitals).

Oriel1

Intended to provide financial assistance with the cost of music lessons and is renewable in each case up to three years. In return, instrumental-award holders are required to give at least one recital per year in the Music Society's concert series and to participate generally in the Music Society's work. Applicants may play any instrument except the organ.

Pembroke1

The college offers an annual Instrumental Scholarship of £300, open to all first and second-year undergraduates reading for any subject. The scholarship will be effective from Michaelmas term and available for one year and will be made on the basis of one twenty-minute recital or two pieces not exceeding 20 minutes in total.

Queen's1 (alternate years)

For Queen’s the upper number should be £300, not £200, and in the last sentence, please remove ‘to’ after ‘must’. 

St Anne's6

The college, in a typical year, offers eight scholarships, each in the region of £200. The Performance Scholar and Composition Scholar are awarded through an open competition with external adjudicator.  The Conducting Scholar, and five St Anne’s Camerata Scholarships for advanced string players, are awarded via application and competitive audition.  Camerata Scholarships involve commitments in ensemble events (recent examples include workshops and concerts with Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective, Castalian String Quartet, Oxford Conducting Institute, and the Oxfordshire Concerto Competition).

St Catherine's1+several smaller prizes

Offers a repetiteur scholarship designed for pianists interested in accompanying and conducting. The duties are split between assisting with practical music in the college and acting as repetiteur with the Oxford-based 'New Chamber Opera' company. Candidates interested in the repetiteur scholarship should indicate their interest in the further details section of their UCAS application when applying for a place at St Catherine's College by entering 'repetiteur scholarship'. Auditions may take place during the December interview period or at candidates' convenience in early January.

Leask Music Scholarships are competed for by audition during Hilary Term and are intended to assist students with the cost of music lessons.

St Hilda's1+2

The award is open to singers and instrumentalists but the latter may perform on only one instrument. Candidates should be of at least Grade 7 (or equivalent) in standard. The Scholarship includes a payment of £100. In addition, the Scholar and two further Award holders will be able to reclaim up to £300 against the cost of music lessons.

St Hugh's1

The Anna Haxworth Prize is a sum awarded for a musical performance of between 10 and 15 minutes on an instrument or voice (excepting the organ) by any student providing, if need be, their own accompanist. The competition is usually held in Hilary term and the winner is invited to give a recital shortly afterwards.

St John's4+1

Offers four Music Bursaries for junior members. Each bursary will be tenable for one academic year and will provide up to £120 per term towards the cost of music lessons. In addition, a Scholarship of £400 is available to help finance lessons for a gifted instrumentalist. All resident Junior members (other than those already receiving financial support for music lessons) are eligible to apply.

St Peter'sSeveral

Scholarships are awarded by competitive audition and are open to all undergraduate students, regardless of subject. Awards range from £50 to £400.

Somerville 1 or more

Enrolled undergraduates, whether reading Music or not, can apply for Somerville’s Margaret Irene Seymour Music Awards. Awards are normally £250 per annum and are intended to assist students with the cost of music lessons. Applicants who already receive substantial college funding for their instrument or voice may be eligible for a titular award. Award holders are expected to play a full part in music-making in the college, including participating in college concerts and organising, in collaboration with the Somerville Music Society, an annual concert for all music award holders. Margaret Irene Seymour Music Awards are competed for by audition during Michaelmas Term. Students who are on suspension and visiting students are not eligible.

Trinity2

Britton Instrumental Scholarships are offered to encourage good instrumentalists to foster and participate in the musical life of the college. A small number of scholarships are awarded each year. Scholarships are awarded for one year in the first instance and are renewable annually, subject to satisfactory academic performance and to satisfying the Senior Member of the Trinity College Music Society that the holder has made an appropriate contribution to music within the college.  The value of a scholarship is £250 a year.

Worcester2

Available to all undergraduates of the college regardless of subject. Awards range from £120 to £200 a year). Although candidates are not expected to have taken Associated Board or equivalent examinations, award holders in the past have normally attained the equivalent of distinction in Grade 8. There are no specific duties attached, but it is expected that award holders will take an active part in the fostering of the musical life of the college and that they will agree, if called upon, to serve on the committee of the Worcester Music Society.

There are eight Music Awards worth £450pa available at any one time to both undergraduate and post-graduate students. All award holders are expected to play a leading part in College music-making. Auditions take place early in Michaelmas Term.