Wesley Music Foundation (ACT)

The Wesley Music Foundation (ACT) was established in 1999 to promote music and music education. From 1999 to 2011 it has awarded 91 music scholarships and in 2002 it financed the Wesley Music Centre at 20 National Circuit, Forrest, ACT. The Centre has a Music Room to hold 140 people plus performers. It has unique, variable acoustics and associated teaching spaces, an extensive music library, a foyer and courtyard. The Centre hosts an average of 120 public concerts a year plus master classes, competitions, lectures, recordings, auditions and examinations. It has also organised three national ecumenical seminars in church music. There is regular teaching of voice, piano, organ and cello. Future teaching on the site could involve harpsichord, fortepiano and other instruments. The activities of the Foundation and the music calendar of the Music Centre can be seen on the web site www.wesleycanberra.org.au/music

Address

45 Holmes Cres
Campbell 2612
Australian Capital Territory

Website: http://www.wesleycanberra.org.au/music

Contact

Name: Secretary Garth Mansfield OAM, Hon FGCM

Phone: 02 6248 6230

» Contact Wesley Music Foundation (ACT)

Mission
Projects
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Registration Information
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Mission / Objective

The objects of the Foundation are to promote music and music education. The Foundation finances and operates the Wesley Music Centre, which has unique facilities including a purpose-built Music Room with an excellent acoustic for concerts, master classes, workshops, seminars, recordings and other activities. The Foundation has a widely acclaimed Scholarship Program for young students at secondary and tertiary level. It also hosts a wide range of events that foster performances by professional and community musicians and ensembles as well as young musicians.

Beneficiary Group

The Foundation provides significant support for talented young students of all ages. Talented primary, secondary and tertiary level students have opportunities to attend master classes and perform in student concerts and regular lunchtime concerts on Wednesdays from February to December.

The Foundation’s ACT Organ School has had 40 students of the pipe organ and a number have had considerable success.

The Foundation hosts a number of courses for members of the University of the Third Age (U3A).

Other community groups supported by the Foundation include various music ensembles and choirs not only from the Canberra Region but also from interstate and overseas.

National ecumenical seminars hosted by the Foundation in association with Church bodies and Universities have been attended by ministers, worship leaders, musicians, theological students, lay preachers, congregational members and members of the public from all States and the ACT.

Projects in Progress

The Foundation actively seeks the support of donors and bequests to finance on an on-going basis numerous scholarships in voice and instruments, including the Lois Dunn Memorial Scholarship for woodwind students, the John Perrin keyboard scholarships and the Daisy Jeeves Memorial Awards for young talented school students of the pipe organ in the Foundation’s ACT Organ School.

The Foundation is a joint venturer with the Music Teachers’ Association (Canberra Branch) in the Janice Battisson Memorial Piano Awards for young pianists 11 years and under, 12-14 years and 15-18 years. The annual Battisson program includes master classes, auditions, finals and a concert by the finalists in each section along with a performance of major works by an outstanding concert pianist.

The Foundation has collaborated with the Canberra Classical Guitar Society in fund-raising for two $1,000 awards for young guitar composers in 2011 and for further awards in 2012.

Another joint venture project has been organised with the Carillon Society of Australia. This involves prizes in a carillon composition competition in 2011 among composition students in the ACT and NSW. Selected compositions will be played on the National Carillon in Canberra and the Carillon at the University of Sydney.

Joint ventures are being planned with other organisations including the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture and its Centre for Ecumenical Studies. These will be a follow-up to previous ecumenical seminars and a 10-day accredited course on the Theology and Practice of Congregational Song in June/July 2011 led by Professor Michael Hawn, a distinguished Professor of Church Music at the Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, USA, and a renowned leader in global congregational song.

The Foundation would welcome tax deductible donations to support projects in the above fields and any other areas of interest to donors that are related to the promotion of music and music education.

Board Members

The current Board of the Wesley Music Foundation include:
Rev. Gregor Henderson (Chair).
Garth Mansfield OAM Hon FGCM (Secretary and Director, Wesley Music Centre)
Chris Emery and Simon Cowling (Treasurers)
Don Whitbread OAM, Alan Hicks (ANU School of Music)
Dr Robert Schmidli
Glenda McDowall
Stan Sismey
Elysia Fisher.

The Executive Officer of the Wesley Music Centre is Becky Blair. Many volunteers assist in the day-to-day operations of the Wesley Music Centre.

ABN

71 567 791 250

Tax Deductible

Yes

Wills and Bequests

The Wesley Music Foundation, (the "Foundation") is an agency of the Uniting Church in Australia under a constitution granted by the New South Wales Synod of the Church and has its office at 20 National Circuit, Forrest in the Australian Capital Territory.

The Foundation is authorised to operate under a Trust Deed dated 23 March 1999 with the Uniting Church in Australia (Australian Capital Territory) Property Trust as trustee.

The cultural purposes of the Foundation are to promote music, including public performance, music education, the housing of music and the maintenance and development of musical instruments and associated activities.

Your bequest (a gift made in a Will) will help the Foundation achieve these purposes.

Form of Bequest:

"I BEQEATH the sum of ($ _______ )

to the Wesley Music Foundation for the purposes of the Foundation and the receipt of the secretary or other proper officer shall be an absolute discharge to my executors".

Please seek the advice and assistance of your solicitor in the professional preparation of your will and any bequest arrangements.