4 October 2023
Woldingham is delighted with the news that Music Ribbon (prefect) Isabel L has been offered a prestigious Organ Scholarship and place to study music at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge after an extensive audition programme and series of academic interviews.
Mrs Maria Young, Director of Higher Education and Careers and teacher of music said: ‘We are thrilled for Isabel. She is a wonderful performer and the offer of the scholarship and place to study music is testament to her hours of practice and dedication to the organ, piano and violin. Not only is she a fantastic performer, Isabel is a talented conductor. I have every confidence that Isabel will flourish at the University of Cambridge, and that she has a very bright future as a musician. Her hard work is not over yet, as she still has to achieve the A Level grades required by St Catharine’s. I very much hope she enjoys her last year at Woldingham, and I know we are going to enjoy listening to her excellent performances.’
Over the last two years, Isabel has been practising and performing on Woldingham Chapel’s new organ, which was put in place by Fr Gerry Devlin, Woldingham’s Chaplain.
Isabel said, ‘Thank you very much for all the opportunities I have been given at Woldingham in the past few years. And thank you in particular to Fr Gerry for getting the new organ and, more recently, an adjustable bench.’
Fr Gerry added, ‘It’s wonderful news that our new Chapel organ has helped Isabel achieve her dreams to be offered this highly prized Organ Scholarship. Not only is it wonderful to watch her concert performances and her playing of the organ at the celebration of Mass in the school Chapel and other liturgical services, as Music Ribbon she is inspiring younger students. It gives me great pleasure that, following in Isabel’s footsteps, we now have eight students learning the organ taking lessons in the Chapel each week.
Academic interviews for a place to study music and auditions for the organ scholarship took place in September, so Isabel heard from St Catharine’s ahead of others applying to Cambridge, who usually hear the outcome of their applications in January.
