La Salle’s Pia takes the cake for organ scholarship

11 Apr 2013

By Matthew Biddle

Cathedral Music Director Jacinta Jakovcevic, left, with scholarship winner Pia Schelfhout and St Mary’s priest Fr Jean-Noel Marie. PHOTO: Matthew Biddle

Pia Schelfhout was presented with the FJ Larner Organ Scholarship for 2013 at St Mary’s Cathedral on April 5.

The Year 12 student at La Salle College in Midland won the prestigious award after submitting an outstanding application and performing well at a subsequent audition.

She said she was both surprised and elated to win the scholarship.

“I found out a couple of days after my audition, I was actually at a camp when my mum phoned,” Miss Schelfhout said.

“I went [back] into the room and said ‘I won the scholarship’ and everyone was so excited.”

The 16-year-old plays the organ regularly at her parish of St Anthony’s in Greenmount, and will soon begin to assist at St Mary’s Cathedral occasionally.

St Mary’s Cathedral music director Jacinta Jakovcevic said there were many excellent applications made for the scholarship.

“It’s basically a training program for a year,” she said.

“The idea is that they train here and then they go forth into the community and do wonderful things.”

The scholarship is named after the organ builder and former technician for the grand Dodd organ, John Larner.