Christopher Graham Bennett

For those of you that do not know me, my name is Christopher Bennett. I am currently in my final semester of an Honours degree, majoring in Cello, at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. I recently auditioned for and was accepted into the prestigious Meadowmount School of Music.

Meadowmount is a seven week summer school in upstate New York. Here is a brief excerpt from the website:

“Founded in 1944 by Ivan Galamian, the Meadowmount School of Music, located in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York, offers exceptional string players and pianists a seven-week-long intensive program of private study and chamber music coaching with our dedicated and internationally recognized faculty. Performance opportunities include weekly masterclasses with the Meadowmount faculty, masterclasses with visiting artists, and concerts both on and off campus. 



The list of distinguished alumni who have spent summers at Meadowmount over the years is extensive, and many artists such as Michael Rabin, Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, Jamie Laredo, Kyung Wha Chung, Arnold Steinhardt, Joshua Bell, James Ehnes, Lynn Harrell and Yo-Yo Ma went on to establish international careers. 



Through the guidance of the teaching and coaching staff, students can accomplish at Meadowmount in a summer what would ordinarily take a year to accomplish at home.”

What does Meadowmount mean to me?

Having worked tirelessly during my time at the Con, it was a period of great learning and growth. I started off as a small fish in a big pond, and this challenged me to push myself beyond what I thought I was capable of. I can look back on that time and honestly say I made the most of every opportunity that was presented to me.

I am now ready to move on to the next stage of my career development, and being accepted into Meadowmount provides the perfect opportunity for this. I can’t think of a better place to be days after my final recital - in New York, learning from some of the best teachers in the world, making music with some of the best students in the world. It is surely an environment where I again will be the small fish, where I can learn and grow, where I can be challenged and influenced by the people around me, somewhere where I can become closer to being an artist.

For me, this represents one of my first big accomplishments. When I first heard about Meadowmount four years ago I thought to myself “wow, if only one day I could go to a place like that”. I never thought that at the completion of my degree I would have a chance to actually live it. After a successful audition, that is where I now find myself, but the only thing that would stop me from going is finance.

Where is your money going?

Having already paid the $1000 deposit, I need to raise $5720 to cover the remainder of the fees for Meadowmount, so I have set that as the target for this campaign. The way Pozible works is that I only get funded if I reach my target. If it is not met, all the money is returned.

However, on top of that I still need to raise money for my flights. I need a further $4000 for this to cover one seat for me and one for my cello (my instrument is from 1880 and rather valuable, and to put in the cargo hold would be too great of a risk). As well as this campaign, I have applied for three grants (Ars Musica Australis, the Dame Joan Sutherland Fund, and the PPCA performers trust) and I am counting on these for my flights, but shall I be unsuccessful I still need money for flights. Should this campaign reach its initial goal, please keep donating so that I can cover my flights as I do not know if or when I will hear back from these grants.

With this in mind, the total amount I need to raise is $9720.

I come from a single parent low income family, and as such have done what I can to support myself through out my whole degree whilst maintaining a five-hour a day practice regime on top of all other study. I have always believed that socioeconomic position shouldn’t hinder ones opportunities and I am doing everything I can now to make sure this holds true for myself.

Up until I have raised all the funds I will make this commitment: I will not be spending any unnecessary money of my own - no eating/drinking out (with the exception of a daily coffee, let’s not be too crazy!). All money of my own that I save will be going towards flights. I say this so that you know that I will not be out living large whilst you are making financial sacrifices for me.

Whats next?

On my return I will audition for both the Australian National Academy of Music and a graduate cello program at Melbourne Uni, and spending two months at Meadowmount, apart from all the other opportunities it will provide, would be perfect preparation for this. My long-term goal is for a career in the orchestra, but my ambitions don’t stop there. I believe that classical music has the ability to enrich lives, and it deserves a much bigger place in Australian culture than it currently occupies. Through future concerts and recitals I hope to make classical music more accessible and arouse interest from people that ordinarily wouldn’t consider it.

…and one final appeal

Attending somewhere like Meadowmount is a once in a lifetime opportunity. As you can see from the list of alumni above, Meadowmount produces some world-class string players, and having the opportunity to collaborate with the next generation of musicians of that caliber is something not to be passed up. As well as being inspired and challenged by the people around me, I will surely make friendships and connections that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

I would be grateful for whatever financial support you can afford me. But more importantly than this, I ask for your friendship. Chasing a career as a classical musician can be a long, tiring, and lonely path. I want you to be my sounding board! Someone who I can bounce ideas with, someone who can tell me straight when I need it, someone who can listen to me play and give me feedback, someone who can encourage me when I am discouraged. I want your support to help me realize my dreams…

Much Love

Chris