The Cape Organ Guild Barrow-Dowling Scholarship
The Barrow-Dowling Organ Scholarship Fund was founded in 1928 by the Anglican Diocese of Cape Town, in memory of the late Dr Thomas Barrow-Dowling who was Organist and Master of the Choristers at St George’s Cathedral, Cape Town from 1888 to 1926. Dr Barrow-Dowling had also been the first President of The Cape Organ Guild (known at that time as The Cape Guild of Organists) when it was founded in 1923.
Many years later, the diocese’s Scholarship Fund was absorbed into the administration of the Guild, which had a bursary fund of its own, and the combined funds are now probably the longest running music scholarship in South Africa. The Guild itself is reputedly the oldest continuous musical society in the country.
A competition is held every two years and is aiming at young people to progress with their organ studies in the Western Cape. The scholarship is for two years, given that the scholar remains studying and living in the province, and a bursary is received twice a year. This is usually paid in March and September and is based on 75% of the interest earned on the Fund. At the present time the bursary is worth somewhere around R5,000 and R6,000 per annum. The current scholar is Eben Wagenstroom, of Elsies River and at 16 years old is the youngest scholar in the history of the Scholarship. He studies with Niel Pauw of Stellenbosch. There were four contestants at the competition held in the latter part of September last year, and in addition to Eben, these were: Gareth Baard (20), Alexios Vicatos (16) and Gavin Julius (26).
Later, towards the end of last October, and as part of its educational programme, the Guild organized a morning demonstration of the large organ in Cape Town City Hall, with some 200 enthusiastic youngsters from several schools in the Cape Metropole, which was very well received. Ashley Grote who arrived from Gloucester Cathedral, England for a few days, gave the demonstration and later the same evening he performed a public organ recital in St George’s Cathedral where he was once organ scholar a few years ago.
The funding of the Barrow-Dowling Scholarship has grown over the years and received a very considerable boost in July 2005 when the Guild initiated the Centenary Gala Concert of Cape Town City Hall and Grand Organ together with the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra and the City of Cape Town, for which all donations and net receipts of the Concert were given to the Fund. This amounted to some R40 000. Each year since then sizeable donations have been given, making the interest from the Fund given each year as bursaries much more beneficial to the scholar and tutor.
Therefore, additional funds are always needed to further this important educational work in the Western Cape, and those organizations interested in the promotion of the Barrow-Dowling Scholarship may deposit funds directly by EFT into the dedicated bank account, as given below, or sent by cheque to the Guild’s address: PO Box 618, Cape Town, 8000. Please state your organization as reference, with your payment. These will be most gratefully received and duly acknowledged.
The Cape Organ Guild Scholarship Fund
Standard Bank, Cape Town Branch (Branch Code: 020009)
Account No: 274486342
List of Past Scholarship Winners Coming Soon
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