Guidelines for scholarship applications 2024

Who can apply for a scholarship?

• You are a student at a music college (university degree) or conservatory. Or you are already a young professional at the beginning of your artistic career. You are between 16 and 29 years old.

• You can prove your excellence in studies, awards in competitions or success in other musical projects.

• You have already built up the basis of a concert repertoire that includes works that are among the pillars of the musical literature in your field. You are constantly expanding this repertoire.

• You can demonstrate a strong concert activity outside the academy as well. You also actively seek out concert opportunities.

• You speak at least one world language.

• You are prepared to provide credible evidence of your economic situation. (For scholarships in excess of CZK 10,000 or CHF 400 or EUR 400, we require your parents' and your tax returns (if you file one).

• You have a clear vision of where you are going in your field and what you want to achieve in the next few years. You are able to articulate and present this vision.

If, after reading the above, you can say YES, I DO, you can complete the scholarship application form. Due to the mission of the Foundation as defined by our founder, applicants with citizenship of the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Switzerland are preferred. Please note that unfortunately we do not support the study of early music performed on historical instruments, nor do we support the study of composition.

How much can I apply for?

We award three types of scholarships:

• Long-term scholarships for study in Switzerland: These are scholarships for students who are studying long-term and systematically at top music universities in Switzerland or have been accepted to such a school. For the purpose of this type of study, a maximum of CHF 4000 per year can be applied for.
• Short-term scholarships for study in Switzerland: These are scholarships for students from the Czech Republic and Slovakia in particular, and exceptionally from other countries, who wish to attend top masterclasses in Switzerland. In this case, it is possible to apply for a scholarship in the amount of the costs of participation, such as course fees, accommodation or travel. In the vast majority of cases, the student contributes part of the costs from his/her own resources. These scholarships range from CHF 200 - 900.
• Other scholarships: These scholarships are intended primarily for Czech, Slovak and Swiss students who wish to travel abroad for the purpose of their studies, e.g. for a one-semester study at a top music school abroad, for high-quality masterclasses outside the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Switzerland, or for participation in a prestigious international music competition. In these cases, a maximum of CZK 25,000 or EUR 1,000 or CHF 1,000 can be applied for. Under this type of scholarship, socially disadvantaged students can apply for a scholarship to participate in masterclasses in the Czech Republic or Slovakia or for an allowance for a musical instrument. However, the prices of quality concert musical instruments are in such high ranges that our scholarship can only provide a small amount of additional funding and the applicant must always prove that they have the rest of the necessary funds.

What should a cover letter look like?

A cover letter is a reflection of the applicant's personal vision and professional life path. It gives us an insight into the applicant's vision of his/her future, short and long term goals. It is handwritten and approximately 1 page in length. We ask repeat applicants not to recycle cover letters from previous years.

What should the applicant's music video look like?

We require two current and stylistically different videos in the form of a YouTube link (no older than 10 months). Ideally, one video is a solo performance and the other is a chamber music performance. It is important to present music from a variety of styles so that the evaluation committee has the greatest possible insight into the applicant's interpretive abilities. Repeat applicants are asked not to include videos that were part of their previous applications in previous years.

Teacher Recommendation

We require a letter of recommendation originally worded by the educator. In previous years, we have seen the phenomenon where the applicant has written the letter of recommendation themselves and their educator has only signed it. We ask applicants to avoid this practice. Additionally, the evaluation committee may invite the applicant to provide contact information for other educators or musical figures who know the applicant artistically and whom the Foundation may approach with additional requests for recommendations/opinions on the applicant's artistic level.

Proof of financial situation

As a rule of thumb, the more accurately and credibly the applicant can prove his/her situation, the better the chances of a positive assessment of the application. Vague and factually insufficient statements risk the applicant's application being rejected without consideration. For applications exceeding CZK 10,000 / EUR 400 / CHF 400, we will require the parents' tax returns for the last year or the applicant's tax return if he/she files a tax return. The Foundation Board may additionally request further information on the applicant's economic situation if there are any uncertainties in this respect.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION NEEDS TO BE COMPLETED AND SUBMITTED IN ONE GO, SO PLEASE READ THE APPLICATION FIRST AND PREPARE ALL ATTACHMENTS BEFORE YOU START FILLING IT OUT! ONCE YOU HAVE SUBMITTED YOUR APPLICATION, YOU WILL RECEIVE A CONFIRMATION IN YOUR EMAIL.