Guitarist wins music scholarship

Classical Guitar student Jody Fisher will spend three months in Milan from next April, working under renowned Uruguayan guitarist Eduardo Fernandez, after winning the $12,500 Dame Ruby Litchfield Scholarship for 2011.

The 23-year-old, who is completing her Masters in Classical Guitar at the University of Adelaide's Elder Conservatorium of Music, will undertake three months' private tuition with Eduardo, recognised as one of the world's leading guitarists.

Since picking up the classical guitar at the age of seven, Jody has established herself as one of Australia's leading young guitarists.

She graduated with Honours in Musicology and Performance (First Class) from the Elder Conservatorium in 2009 before beginning her Masters later that year.

"This scholarship will give me the opportunity to study with one of the world's best guitarists," Jody said.

"Eduardo is also an outstanding teacher and working with him will enhance my development as an artist.

"I'm very grateful for the support of both the Conservatorium staff, who have assisted me throughout my degree, and the Carclew Youth Arts Board (who administer the scholarship) because without this award I could not travel to Europe to study."

Her supervisor of five years, Oliver Fartach-Naini, said Jody was "a highly motivated student, with exceptional abilities and a rare degree of maturity for her age".

"It has been a great pleasure to guide her through an impressively steep learning curve right throughout her Bachelor, Honours and now her Masters studies," Oliver said.

He said Eduardo's immense knowledge of the guitar repertoire, the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and his famed technical mastery made him the perfect mentor for Jody at this point in her performance career.

Jody has performed solo recitals in venues such as Wienklang (Berlin), Eschen Convention Centre (Liechtenstein), the Adelaide Festival Centre (as part of the Adelaide International Guitar Festival), Elder Hall and SANTOS stadium.

Last month she featured in the Adelaide International Guitar Festival's Guitarissimo.

She has also been part of the Adelaide Festival Centre's Sunday Spectrum and the Elder Hall's Lunch Hour, Evening Concert and Emerging Artist Spring Concert Series.

As an undergraduate student, Jody was the first guitarist from the Elder Conservatorium of Music to perform as a soloist with the University's orchestra, playing on two occasions, in performances of Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez and Fantasia para un Gentilhombre.

Story by Candy Gibson