Three young instrumentalists have been nominated for the prestigious $20,000 scholarship.

The three finalists have been announced for the 2016 Freedman Classical Fellowship. The annual award recognises a classical instrumentalist under 30 with a scholarship of $20,000 to undertake a “career-enhancing creative project”. Previous recipients include some of Australia’s preeminent soloists: percussionists Timothy Constable, Claire Edwardes and Eugene Ughetti, oud player Joseph Tawadros, guitarists Geoffrey Morris and Karin Schaupp, recorder player Genevieve Lacey, didgeridoo player William Barton, violinist Kristian Winther, flautist Lina Andonovska, clarinettist Ashley Smith, pianist Tamara Anna Cislowska and pianist/composer Peter de Jager. The winner of last year’s award was dynamic clarinettist Aviva Endean.

The 2016 finalists are Tasmanian violist Stefanie Farrands, Victorian percussionist Kaylie Melville, and Queensland pianist Alex Raineri. In an unprecedented move, the winner will be announced on September 17 at a premiere Finals Concert in the ABC’s Eugene Goossens Hall to be hosted by Russell Torrance.

If named the lucky winner, violist Stefanie Farrands says that intends to commission three new chamber music works for viola and other instruments by Australian composers, performing and recording these works with leading Australian musicians both at home and in Europe. Percussionist Kaylie Melville plans to develop her...