| The Award |
Established in memory of a wonderful man with a great love for Irish music, the John Barker Memorial Gift will each year provide a budding traditional musician with support and resources to assist their learning and development. John attended the National Folk Festival in Canberra over many years, and provided tremendous support and encouragement for the musical endeavors of his two sons, both of whom were founder members of the band Trouble in the Kitchen. John passed away in 2006, and his family - his wife Mary and sons Adrian and Martin - have conceived this award in commemoration of John's life and abiding love of music.
The award has been established with the express aim of fostering and supporting young traditional musicians at an early stage of their musical development – as such, the award panel will be looking to identify a combination of talent, potential and, of course, a keen interest in the music. Don’t be put off applying if you feel that perhaps you’re not ‘advanced’ or ‘polished’ enough – this award is very much for you!
The gift will each year consist of a full season ticket to the National Folk Festival in addition to a prize package of resources including CDs and books. Tailored by the award panel according to the instrument of the recipient, the package will bring together a selection of definitive traditional recordings which might otherwise be hard to discover. It is hoped the gift will provide a valuable boost on the long but greatly rewarding road to playing Irish traditional music! |
Who is eligible? |
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John was born in Mt Morgan, Qld in 1949. His mother had Irish heritage, and the Barkers originally came from England. John lived and worked in Canberra from the early 1970s. He was a remarkable man of diverse interests including sport, politics, history and music. Most importantly he was a wonderful human being, husband and father. He regarded all with whom he came into contact with dignity and respect. He was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2004, shortly after he retired from the Commonwealth Grants Commission where he worked for more than thirty years. He died in November 2006.
John took a great interest in his sons' musical development - Adrian (fiddle) and Martin (cello). He was a great support to Adrian when his interest in traditional Irish music began and over many years, with his wife Mary, attended festivals and gigs where Adrian and his fellow band members played.
When thinking of something that would honour and remember John, the family thought that support for a young player of Irish traditional music would be most fitting. Adrian remembers the constant support John gave him in his early years of discovering Irish music and how crucial it was to his development. We hope that the resource materials and the festival ticket to the National, offered as part of this award, will encourage the player chosen to receive this gift.
Mary, Adrian and Martin. |
