A record $168,000 in bursary funding will be available for students at the Victoria Conservatory of Music (VCM) this year. The increase is thanks to a new bursary fund established through a legacy gift by Mr. Thomas Underwood of Shawnigan Lake, B.C.
When Underwood passed away in 2022, he left the Conservatory a gift of just over $890,000. This year, $45,000 of that will be used towards student bursaries with the rest of the gift endowed to benefit students in perpetuity.
Students – based on need – could receive between 30 and 60 per cent off their registration costs at the VCM. Underwood's gift has come at a time when bursaries are in higher demand, said VCM CEO Nathan Medd in a press release.
“We know the cost of living has risen, and families are feeling it more than most. Last year, demand for bursary funds at the Conservatory outpaced what we had available,” he said.
“We are grateful to receive this extraordinary gift, and to carry on Underwood’s legacy by keeping music affordable and accessible in our community."
Underwood was passionate about music: he took flute lessons at the Conservatory and played bass in the Cowichan Consort Orchestra, the Cowichan Camerata String Orchestra, and the string chamber group Tall Strings. His wife Betty was an active folk dancer who was often found collecting tickets at the door of Underwood's concerts.
Now, thanks to the couple's addition of the Thomas & Betty Underwood Bursary Fund, 75 additional bursaries will be awarded to music students this year, said Sandra Hudson, communications at the VCM. In 2023, the VCM awarded 139 bursaries.
Students can apply for a bursary and learn more through vcm.bc.ca/learn/scholarships-bursaries-awards/.
