Working with Youth Music
ABRSM sponsors Youth Music’s Young Leader Award, which is awarded to a musician aged 25 or younger, who has demonstrated great leadership skills.
The Commonwealth Resounds
Along with The Commonwealth Resounds and the Purcell School, ABRSM is a founding partner and funder of the Commonwealth International Composition Award (CICA). Since its launch in April 2019, CICA has encouraged a diverse range of young people from around the world to discover and develop their musical creativity through the medium of composition. It provides educational resources, mentorship and cash prizes for under 18s. An educational programme runs alongside the competition, which is supported by ‘Go Compose’ workshops around the world.
ABRSM has provided funding to the dynamic Antigua and Barbuda Young Symphony Orchestra (ABYSO) to support the development of its young musicians via a delivery programme of individual and group tuition for orchestral members by specialist music tutors, as part of ABYSO’s music education programme.
ABRSM awards scholarships to students attending the School of Music at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA)
ABRSM sponsors the annual music festival of The Hong Kong Schools Music and Speech Association.
ABRSM engages in and supports a number of initiatives across Singapore via the Singapore Symphony Group, such as the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.
ABRSM partners with The National Instructors and Coaches Association (NICA) to help bring training to music teachers in Singapore.
Since 2017, ABRSM has been the main sponsor of Singapore’s Young Talents Project, that is organised by classical music radio station Symphony 92.4. The Young Talents Project is an annual competition in search of Singapore’s budding classical music stars. Open to performers of all classical works on any musical instruments, participants showcase their talents nationally and are featured on radio, TV and social media.
The Band Directors’ Association is a network of band directors who work in government schools across Singapore. ABRSM has sponsored their annual primary and secondary wind band festivals since 2018, helping to cultivate and promote wind ensemble music in Singapore and the Asia Pacific region.
ABRSM has supported the Voices of Singapore Festival since 2019. It brings together hundreds of choirs, with several thousand participants taking part annually.
ABRSM has sponsored the annual festivals and music education initiatives of the Malaysian Youth Orchestra Foundation since 2014, as well as the International Dalcroze Festivals. The Malaysian Youth Orchestra Foundation’s mission is to promote music education, participation, and appreciation to Malaysian Youth.
ABRSM is a main sponsor of the Euroasia Association of the Performing Arts festival. Launched in 2013, the festival brings together musicians from across the world to tour Malaysia and includes a strings competition and piano festival.
Discovered via the International Sponsorship Fund award winners Kojereeds (formerly Borneo Reeds) award the Malaysian Wind Music Prize to a talented wind soloist or ensemble each year. The winners conduct a recital tour and outreach programmes in schools in Malaysia, to promote high quality wind playing and to help increase standards of playing in Malaysia.
Young Choral Academy develop choral singing throughout Malaysia by training a large number of teachers. Each year they host the national Malaysian Choral Eisteddfod, biennially they host an International Choral Festival, and in 2019 they organised the 24th International Kodaly Symposium in Kuching, Malaysia. ABRSM initially sponsored Young Choral Academy through the ABRSM International Sponsorship Fund.
ABRSM supports the Association of International Malaysian Schools (AIMS) primary orchestra festival, secondary orchestra and choir, festival and the music competition ABRSM has also organised Continued Professional Development days for international school teachers, which involved sessions of nominated teachers sharing best practice as well as sessions delivered by ABRSM.
ABRSM supports Melaka Classics, an annual international classical music festival that brings quality classical music to the heart of Melaka, Malaysia.
ABRSM Supports the Overseas Masters Winter Piano Academy, a course founded in 2010 by former ABRSM scholar, and Malaysian pianist, Bobby Chen. This fantastic residential course is an intensive programme for young pianists across Southeast Asia, and held in the Menuhin School in Surrey, UK, in December every two years.
ABRSM sponsors The Rondo Production (TRP), a registered social enterprise that organises high-quality national and international brass and wind festivals each year. Their programme of events includes an extensive chamber music and education series.
ABRSM supports Bangkok Opera Foundation (Opera Siam)’s dynamic educational programme. The Siam Sinfonietta was designed to create world-class classical musicians out of talented young Thai performers. It has gone on to win many top prizes, and performed at three in festivals in Carnegie Hall. Students are accepted onto the programme on a 100% scholarship basis to ensure access for all.