The Ian Potter Cultural Trust has today announced that it will pledge $1 million towards the support of alumni from the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) who are taking their first steps as independent musicians.

Alex Meagher uses a bow on a cymbal, a bass drum and another drum next to him.

ANAM alum Alex Meagher. Photo © Pia Johnson

The fund will be given out in two annual Ian Potter Emerging Performer Fellowships between 2024–2028, with each fellow receiving $100,000 over two years. With the goal to support the development of the Australian creative freelance field, the grants are open to alum developing an independent creative practice who are currently not engaged by an orchestra or other professional performance organisations. 

“The Australian music scene is immeasurably enriched by those performers who choose to carve out a career outside the traditional orchestral sector, deeply rewarding though such an orchestral career may be,” says ANAM General Manager Nick Bailey to Limelight.

“The post-COVID path trodden by musicians and other performing artists can be a precarious one at the best...