Since 1982 MOST® has contributed millions of dollars in grants, scholarships, tuition, travel, mentoring programmes and other opportunities through a portfolio of activities; as well as audition, performance and education opportunities for thousands of young artists.
MOST® also provides professional management and consultancy services for competitions, events, awards, scholarships, prizes and grants.
History
MOST® manages a number of premier development programmes in music and the performing arts.
Music & Opera Singers Trust Ltd (MOST®) has a long and rich history since 1982 creating and managing elite music and opera competitions, awards and scholarships on national and international levels.
In 1982 MOST® launched the Marianne Mathy Scholarship that later evolved into the Australian Singing Competition for classical and opera singers under the age of 26 years. Now known as the IFAC Handa Australian Singing Competition in recognition of patron Dr Haruhisa Handa and the International Foundation of Arts & Culture (IFAC), the IFAC Handa ASC still features the Marianne Mathy Scholarship (‘The Mathy’) as the ultimate award within what has become the most recognised competition for young opera singers in our region.
In 1983 MOST® made the decision to promote the Marianne Mathy Scholarship as a competition for young opera and classical singers, and to establish a separate section for contemporary singers. Both sections were to come under the umbrella of the ‘Australian Singing Competition’. From 1985 the ‘Grace Bros Prize’ was the major prize within the Contemporary Section. From 1985 to 1989 both sections ran parallel to but separate from one another under the banner ‘Australian Singing Competition’. The Contemporary Section of the ASC proved a popular success, but sadly was suspended in 1990.
In 1986 MOST® acquired management of the Armstrong-Martin Scholarship. MOST® created the Opera Awards (Australia) that year to ‘house’ this prestigious award, which from 1987 was first presented to a professional opera singer. Since 2007 the Opera Awards features the YMFA Award (sponsored by the Youth Music Foundation of Australia) and the Armstrong-Martin Scholarship (sponsored by the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust).
In 2014 MOST® launched the Australian Cello Awards which featured the Allen-Evans Scholarship, the result of a bequest by sisters Mary Allen and Betty Evans. When MOST® took carriage of the Young Performers Awards (YPA) in 2016, it was decided that the Australian Cello Awards would be merged with the YPA and the Allen-Evans Scholarship would be offered to a gifted young cellist.
In addition to these various competitions, over the years MOST® has offered individual awards, scholarships and grants to support musicians, conductors and repetiteurs.
NOT-FOR-PROFIT
MOST® is a tax deductible not-for-profit arts entity recognised and assisted by philanthropists, corporate partners and many volunteers.
MUSIC & OPERA SINGERS TRUST LTD is endorsed as a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) from 01 Jul 2000.
It is covered by Item 1 of the table in section 20-15 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997.
Capabilities
MOST® has the expertise and resources to provide the following services —
Identification and selection of programmes, projects or activities: MOST® has connections to various creative and professional communities and the capabilities to fulfil the requirements of sponsors and bequests.
Administration and management: a range of services to provide hands-on management and support of sponsor and bequest programmes, including acting as administrator, event manager, trustee or patron. MOST® has also provided professional management for independent foundations and trusts, such as the Geraldine Pascall Foundation and the Rona Tranby Trust.
Naming rights: naming rights or other types of acknowledgement can be negotiated and implemented with relevant parties and agencies.
Entry processes: MOST® can provide and/or implement the relevant infrastructures to manage and programme entries, including application fee payment gateways and other entry logistics.
Adjudication/selection processes: infrastructure and administration management to facilitate adjudication and selection processes of competitions, scholarships, prizes, awards or grants.
Recipient disbursements: MOST® monitors the payments of scholarships, prizes and awards to recipients.
Publicity and marketing: promotion and publicity through our website/s, press releases and social media. This can also include liaising with other professional services, depending on the requirements of sponsors and bequests.
Online & Social Media
We’ve embraced new technologies and social media to reach out to musicians, instrumentalists and performing artists, as well as their audiences.
Our efforts include the analog recording of young artists (1982) to current day digital recording of many of our events.
