Former Mount Isa School of the Air student, Isabella McDonald, has been awarded a prestigious $5000 Artistic Development Grant for her cello performance.
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The grant was awarded by Mount Isa Airport owners Queensland Airports Limited, sponsors of the 2016 Gold Coast Eisteddfod. Living on a property near Isa, Isabella, 16, began her cello career with lessons over the phone.
“I started playing cello when I was 10, and I actually learnt over the phone for the first year. I’d put on a headset and play for the teacher who would then tutor me,” she said. “I was part of the distance education group through School of the Air, which only had about 180 students. “There is a lot of self-motivation involved in distance education, especially learning an instrument. I didn’t have a teacher there to tell me to practice, so I took it upon myself to study.”
Students (16-20) had to have been Senior Championship winners at the Gold Coast eisteddfod and Isabella was one of five finalists required to lodge a written application, participate in an interview and then perform in front of a panel of judges.
These included QAL CEO Chris Mills who acknowledged the unique circumstances in which Isabella begun her cello career.
“The sheer calibre of talent on show at the Eisteddfod was absolutely incredible, and Isabella’s performance was wonderful,” he said.
“Mount Isa Airport is an important part of the QAL portfolio, and to be able to support a student who is from the region is very rewarding.”
QAL contributed $12,000 in grants and sponsorship support to the Eisteddfod, with $5000 of the total being awarded to Isabella alone. The grant will allow Isabella to further develop her musical talent.
