The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) is offering a $100,000 scholarship to a student with a passionate interest in historical keyboard instruments and historically informed performance who is keen to undertake a Bachelor of Music (Classical Performance) at Edith Cowan University in Perth.

The Simon Lee Scholarship, which is funded by the Simon Lee Foundation, will allow the student to work with a team of experts at WAAPA, led by Professor Geoffrey Lancaster, a renowned pianist who has been at the forefront of historically-informed performance practice for 40 years.

The successful candidate will receive $20,000 a year during the four-year scholarship, as well as a further $20,000 in the final two years of their degree to enable them to travel to Europe and study major European keyboard collections.

One of the Founding Pianos in the collection at WAAPA. Image supplied

WAAPA itself has an internationally significant collection of historic instruments and restored instruments, including the Founding Pianos collection and the Stewart Symonds Keyboard Instrument Collection, which includes instruments dating from 1736 to 1874. As part of the degree, the student will spend time working on the restoration of a historic keyboard.

“It’s quite unique...