After struggling to support his music career, Williamstown pianist David Barnard is among 109 Australians awarded a Churchill fellowship.
The 33-year-old opera repetiteur, recitalist and chamber musician will use his $25,000 fellowship to visit some of the world’s biggest opera houses and bring the knowledge back to Australia.
“I’ll go to Europe for six to eight weeks and work at the three major opera houses, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Paris Opera and La Scala, Milan … because I’m sort of in demand as somebody who goes around Australia training opera singers and getting them ready for the stage,” he said.
“I’ve just been grinding away, paid for everything myself. I’ve had to work as much as I can and support myself: typical ‘boy done good’ from South Australia.
“So this fellowship was a personal little victory, finally some sort of assistance.
“I’ve knocked on many doors and they’ve all said, nah, you’re too young. So when I got the fellowship I was over the moon.
“The message I’d love to get to young people is that whatever knock-backs you get in your personal or study life, you have to keep going.
“Somewhere down the track somebody will say ‘well done’, and that’s what I feel.”
Mr Barnard cites among his biggest influences his piano teacher, Diana Harris, and conductor Daniel Barenboim, who runs the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra.
“Daniel has got Palestinian musicians playing in the same orchestra as Israelis,” he said. “It’s just fantastic.”
Goya Dmytryshchak
