SENA’s flagship annual event is the SAMRO Overseas Scholarships Competition, which rotates between instrumentalists, singers, keyboard players and composers over a four year cycle. Since 1962, SAMRO has awarded 60 of these scholarships, which have helped boost the careers of many young professional musicians and composers, including Peter Klatzow, Robert Fokkens, Abel Moeng, Nicholas Nicolaidis, Abigail Petersen, Ben Schoeman, Kimmy Skota, Michael Bester and Andre Petersen.

The Scholarships, one for Western Art music and one for Jazz/ Popular music, are for applicants who have already obtained a degree or equivalent diploma in music, or who are in their final year of such degree or equivalent diploma.

The two annual scholarships are each worth R170 000, with a number of additional cash prizes awarded to the runners-up and other finalists that display exceptional promise.

Scholarships in 2012 will be awarded to instrumentalists. For Regulations Booklet and Application Form DOWNLOAD HERE. Closing date for Applications is 30 April 2012. Please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information.

Past Winners

The 2000 winner of the main jazz award, drummer Kesivan Naidoo, was named the 2009 Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz; while 2009’s runner-up in the jazz piano category of the Overseas scholarships, Bokani Dyer, is the 2010 Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz. Ben Schoeman, who won the SAMRO Overseas Scholarships Competition in 2005, went on to become the first South African to win the Vodacom Unisa International Piano Competition in 2008 – and also clinched the 2010 Standard Bank Young Artist award for Music. For a list of all previous Overseas Scholarship winners, click HERE.