Townsville teen Gabrielle Penaluna hits the right note with Theodore Kuchar Scholarship for Excellence in Music
A talented Townsville schoolgirl is getting ready to make waves in the music world after landing a prestigious $4000 scholarship to chase her dreams.
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Townsville schoolgirl Gabrielle Penaluna her sights set on a career in music after being named this year’s recipient of the prestigious Australian Festival of Chamber Music’s (AFCM) 2024 Theodore Kuchar Scholarship for Excellence in Music.
The $4000 scholarship for a year 10 student is to pay for instrumental tuition and/or professional development, paid at $2,000 per year during Years Eleven and Twelve.
It began in 1990 and was named in honour of the founding Artistic Director of the Australian Festival of Chamber Music (AFCM), Theodore Kuchar, and is funded in partnership with the Townsville City Council.
It is the second year in a row that a Cathedral School student has won the award, and this year’s winner said she was excited about her musical future.
“It’ll give me a chance to further enhance my playing and to hopefully take music to a career in the future,” she said.
The talented and versatile sixteen-year-old plays clarinet, saxophone and piano at a high standard, first taking piano lessons while still in prep and started playing the clarinet in Grade Three.
She said the scholarship would allow her to take part in the Pacific Honours Ensemble Program (PHEP) and the Australian Youth Orchestra (AYO) Program and to continue to enter Eisteddfods, competitions and attend Master Classes and Workshops throughout 2025 and 2026.
The schoolgirl also planned to go to the Griffith Conservatorium to study music post-school.
As a former woodwind player himself Cr Liam Mooney said he was excited a clarinet player had received the scholarship.
“Townsville City Council is incredibly proud to be supporting the next generation of artists from Townsville through initiatives like the Theodore Kuchar Scholarship.”
AFCM Executive Director Ricardo Peach said the scholarship was important to young, aspiring musicians in the region and part of the AFCM’s overall Pathways Program.
Originally published as Townsville teen Gabrielle Penaluna hits the right note with Theodore Kuchar Scholarship for Excellence in Music
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