BVOF | RIAM John Pollard Bursary
The largest bursary of its kind in Ireland, each year the BVOF | RIAM John Pollard Bursary will select one vocal studies student and one instrumental student to each receive €24,000 over two years. This new award will assist each winner to complete their two-year Master in Music Performance programme at RIAM.
The BVOF | RIAM John Pollard Bursary is very generously supported by the John Pollard Foundation, Michael and Gianni Alen-Buckley, Eunice Power and Ed Miller.
The award is open to vocal and instrumental students worldwide who apply to study on the Masters in Music Performance and Recital Artist Diploma programmes at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, with a particular focus on applications from tenor/countertenors for the vocal award. Recipients will be chosen through their RIAM audition to receive the award, which will be provided as €12,000 in Year 1 and €12,000 in Year 2.
The latest participants on the Bursary are soprano Eva Kavanagh and pianist Kwan Yee LIm (for the 2026/2028 Academic Years) who have now joined mezzosoprano Alba Clarke Gosalvez and violinist Iulia Florescu (2025/27 recipients). Previous recipients include violaist Remi Ludick, double bass player Savannah Hilterbrandt, tenors Seán Tester and Rory Lynch along with the inaugural recipients, soprano Abigail LaDuke and pianist Ella Nagy.
“We are thrilled to partner with BVOF and the John Pollard Foundation to offer this astonishingly generous bursary to some truly talented and remarkable musicians. The award opens the doors of the RIAM to students across the globe, who may not otherwise have the means to study at Ireland’s oldest conservatoire, right in the heart of Dublin.” – Deborah Kelleher, RIAM Director
More information on how to apply and audition requirements can be found on riam.ie/apply. Applications for MMus will be automatically considered for this award. There is no separate application process.
Eva Maria Kavanagh is quickly emerging as one of Ireland’s most exciting young operatic talents, recently selected as a Factory Artist for Wexford Festival Opera. Eva’s 2026 season has been marked by significant competitive and performance triumphs, including winning the Gervase Elwes Memorial Cup and the Dramatic Cup at Feis Ceoil, and being named a finalist in the Bernadette Greevy Competition at the National Concert Hall. Eva has amassed numerous accolades, including the Bríd Phelan Emerging Talent Bursary from the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival, the Irené Sandford Award, the Plunket Greene Cup, the Thomas Moore Cup, and bursaries from the Canto al Serchio and John McCormack foundations. Eva has performed the title role in Xavier Montsalvatge’s El Gato con Botas with RIAM Opera, Rosina in Haydn’s La vera Costanza, and extracts as Norma (Norma) and Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte) in RIAM opera scenes. Eva was chosen to represent the Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM) in a high-profile collaboration with the Juilliard School, performing in New York under the direction of renowned pianist Iain Burnside. She has also represented RIAM in Leipzig, Germany, for intensive masterclasses with Professor Schubert. As a soloist, she has performed at the National Concert Hall, the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival, Farmleigh House, Killruddery House, Mount Juliet, and the Austrian and German Embassies in Dublin, with her work broadcast on RTÉ Lyric FM. Eva recently completed her Bachelor of Music (BMus) in Vocal Performance at RIAM under the dedicated tutelage of Professor Kathleen Tynan and Dearbhla Collins whose instrumental mentorship continues to shape her artistic growth. She is profoundly grateful to continue her advanced studies at RIAM on the Recital Artist Diploma programme, a milestone made possible through the immense generosity and support of the BVOF | RIAM John Pollard Bursary.
Kwan Yee Lim is a Malaysian-born pianist currently based in Dublin, Ireland. She began her piano studies at the age of five and debuted competitively at seven. Her artistry has since been recognized internationally, with awards spanning the UK, the United States, Europe and Asia. Most recently, she won the Lucien & Maura Teissier Award for Pianists 2026 and the St. Columb’s Hall Concerto Award 2025 in Northern Ireland. Alongside her solo pursuits, Kwan Yee has shown a deep passion for chamber music and collaborative performance. Her concerto highlights include performances of Medtner and Chopin with the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, and Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Le Foyer des Artistes Orchestra in Northern Ireland. In 2025, she made her European solo debut at the Franz Liszt Memorial Hall in Budapest and gave recitals at Musica Insieme Bologna and the “Claudio Monteverdi” Conservatory in Italy. Recently, she performed in a collaborative song and poetry project curated by Iain Burnside with musicians from the Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM) and the Juilliard School in New York. Kwan Yee has participated in masterclasses with renowned pianists such as Armen Babakhanian, Anthony Hewitt, Vanessa Latarche, François Dumont, Philip Fowke, and Murray McLachlan. Having recently completed her Master’s degree with a Distinction at the RIAM, she is now pursuing the Recital Artist Diploma under the tutelage of Professor Thérèse Fahy, having been awarded the BVOF | RIAM John Pollard Bursary to support her studies.
Alba Clarke Gosalvez: Alba is a mezzo-soprano born in Barcelona (Spain). As a 2025 recipient of the BVOF|RIAM John Pollard Bursary, she is pursuing a Masters in Vocal Performance at the Royal Irish Academy of Music under Owen Gilhooly-Miles and Dearbhla Collins. Alba completed her Bachelor's degree in Voice Performance with a minor in Early Music at the Schulich School of Music/McGill University in Montreal (Canada) in 2024. During her time in Montreal, she studied with Professors Annamaria Popescu and Michael McMahon. Alba also performed in various opera productions, including Cendrillon (Esprit), Il giudizio di Pigmalione (chorus), Orfeo ed Euridice (chorus), and scenes from Le Nozze di Figaro (Cherubino). Raised in the United States, Alba trained in choirs and programs at the New England Conservatory, Westminster Choir College and Washington National Opera. She was an intern with the Hartford Chorale, made her opera debut in Florencia en el Amazonas (chorus) with Yale School of Music, and sang with the Hartford Cathedral’s Schola Cantorum. In January 2026, Alba will perform her first major opera role as L'Écureuil/La Libellule in RIAM Opera’s production of L'enfant et les sortilèges.
Iulia Florescu: Iulia is a Romanian violinist currently studying at RIAM with Head of Chamber Music Sarah Sew. She completed her Bachelor’s degree at The National Academy of Music “Gheorghe Dima” Cluj-Napoca with Andrei Gocan. She is a recipient of the BVOF | RIAM John Pollard Bursary which supports her studies at RIAM. Iulia is a multiple prize winner in national competitions in Romania and she has participated in masterclasses and workshops with acclaimed artists including Remus Azoiței, Andrey Baranov, Boris Garlitsky and Oliver Kipp. Iulia is a keen orchestral musician and performed with the Royal Youth Orchestra of the Transylvanian State Philharmonic, Cluj-Napoca and also an ERASMUS+ String Orchestra Project in Budapest. Iulia is a member of the Féinics Quartet who made their US debut at two events in San Francisco and Chicago in November 2025.
Savannah Hilterbrandt: Savannah is a Double Bass player with a BMPerf from the University of North Texas. As a BVOF John Pollard Bursary recipient, she is continuing her studies at the Royal Irish Academy of Music.
She has collaborated with many ensembles such as the Wintergreen Performing Arts Festival in Virginia, where she was a fellowship student in their LEAD cooperative program. Her former teachers include Jeff Bradetich, Gudrun Raschen, and Dee Moses. She was named a Semi- Finalist of the 2024 Fulbright International Research Program.
Along with the role of a student, she has recently worked as a chamber music coach at the University of North Texas’s 2023 Double Bass camp, where she worked closely with bassists of all ages. Savannah keeps herself busy with her portfolio career through teaching, performing in chamber music ensembles, and playing in orchestras. She is interested in the exploration of music that is undiscovered, and expanding the limits of music making.
Remi Ludick: Remi completed their BMus (2021) and BMus Hons (2022) cum laude at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. Remi is currently pursuing their Post Graduate Master's Degree in Viola Performance at The Royal Irish Academy of Music, where they have received generous support from The Black Valley Opera Festival as a John Pollard bursary recipient. Remi has had the opportunity of performing in numerous ensembles and orchestras, including the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, Cape Town Baroque Orchestra, Stellenbosch Camerata, and the South African National Youth Orchestra. Remi has enjoyed annual travels for participation in music festivals such as the Festival Périgord Noir Baroque Academy in France, Confidencen Baroque Academy in Sweden, and the Irish Youth Baroque Orchestra. Remi has a keen interest in Indigenous African Music, where they were a member of the Stellenbosch University Conquering Spirits Ensemble, which performed indigenous African repertoire.
Rory Lynch: A Dublin native and tenor, Rory is a member of Chamber Choir Ireland and the choir of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin. He is undertaking a Masters in vocal performance at RIAM with Dr Imelda Drumm and was awarded the BVOF|RIAM John Pollard Bursary to support his studies there. He has sung as a soloist and in choirs all his life - growing up in Irish choral institutions such as the Irish Youth Choir, New Dublin Voices, the Choir of Christ Church Cathedral Dublin and the Choral Scholars of University College Dublin. He gained his Bachelor of Music Education in 2020 from RIAM and Trinity College Dublin. His stage debut was at Wexford Festival Opera 2023 as Danilo in Camille Erlanger’s L’Aube Rouge and he will return to the festival in 2024 as a member of their young artist programme, the Wexford Factory. In 2024, he will also perform his first principal role as Mr Owen for RIAM Opera’s production of Dominic Argento’s Postcard from Morocco. Rory has performed Oratorio of Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mendelssohn, Mozart and Saint-Saens in concert with Culwick Choral Society, Dublin Goethe Choir, Dublin County Choir and the Irish Baroque Orchestra. As a professional choral singer, Rory also works regularly with leading Irish vocal ensembles, including Chamber Choir Ireland, Resurgam and Sestina Music.
Seán Tester: A tenor from Drogheda, Co. Louth, Seán studied Drama, Dance and Singing at the Drogheda School of Performing Arts and has a strong background in choral singing as a dedicated member of St. Peter's Male Voice Choir, Drogheda. In recent years, Seán's vocal interest turned to opera and classical singing which led to his completion of the Recital Artist Diploma at RIAM. In the world of opera, Seán has been engaged by the Irish National Opera Chorus for INO’s productions of Rossini’s ‘Guillaume Tell’, Gounod’s ‘Faust’ and Puccini’s ‘La Bohème’. Seán has also made his tenor soloist debut in Handel’s ‘Messiah’. Seán immensely enjoyed his time as a participant in "Celebrating the Voice" with international star mezzo-sopranos Tara Erraught and Angela Brower. 2023 saw Seán as a recipient of the BVOF|RIAM John Pollard Bursary; seeing him continue his studies with principal voice teacher Owen Gilhooly-Miles and coach Dearbhla Collins on the Masters in Music Performance (Vocal Studies) at RIAM. More recently, Seán made his tenor soloist debut in Orff's ‘Carmina Burana’, Beethoven's ‘Choral Fantasia’, D'Astorga's ‘Stabat Mater’ and Haydn's ‘Die sieben letzten Worte des Erlösers am Kreuz’. Seán made his international role debut in Switzerland where he performed the role of “Rodolphe” in a production of Rossini’s ‘Guillaume Tell’ at Nouvel Opèra Fribourg/Neue Oper Freiburg. Seán made his North American singing debut representing RIAM performing at the 33rd Ireland Funds Emerald Isle Ball in The Breakers Palm Beach, Florida. Seán looks forward to more engagements with Irish National Opera later in the 23/24 season.
Abigail LaDuke: A native of Minnesota in the United States, soprano Abigail earned her Bachelor of Music degree at Concordia College under Dr. Holly Janz and Stephen Sulich and currently studies at the Royal Irish Academy of Music under Kathleen Tynan and Dr. Andrew Synnott. She made her Irish debut singing the role of Monique in the RIAM/IADT’s production of Elizabeth Maconchy’s The Sofa and recently performed the RIAM/IADT production of Dominic Argento’s Postcard from Morocco in March 2024 as the Lady with a Hand Mirror. She is looking forward to making her debut in the United Kingdom with a Historical Performance Recital with RIAM at Hatchlands Park in May 2024. She is immensely grateful to have received the 2022 BVOF|RIAM John Pollard Bursary and the 2023 Dublin ChamberFest Prize alongside pianist Ella Nagy.
Ella Nagy: Ella is the first instrumental recipient of the BVOF|RIAM John Pollard Bursary and winner of various competitions in Ireland. Some of these include RIAM’s Maura Dowdall Concerto Competition in 2019, RIAM’s ChamberFest Dublin Prize in 2023 and, and the runner-up in the 2023 Irish Freemasons Young Musician of the Year competition. Ella has performed in most of Ireland's concert venues, most notably, in the National Concert Hall where she received a standing ovation for her performance of Chopin's Second Piano Concerto with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra. Internationally, she has given recitals in the UK, Portugal, Hungary and in New York and Florida. Ella’s performances have been broadcast on RTÉ Lyric FM, Dublin South FM and BBC Radio Ulster. Ella has recently recorded works by Irish composer Jonathan Nangle to feature on his latest album Surface Patterns, an album which is available on all major streaming platforms.