The Victoria Conservatory of Music has announced that a record $168,000 in bursary funding will be available for students this year. The increase is thanks to a new bursary fund established through a legacy gift by Mr. Thomas Underwood of Shawnigan Lake, B.C.
When Mr. Underwood passed away in 2022, he left the Conservatory a gift of just over $890,000. The Thomas & Betty Underwood Bursary Fund was endowed at the Victoria Foundation in loving memory of Mr. Underwood and his late wife, Betty.
This fall, thanks to the generous forethought of Mr. Underwood, approximately $45,000 in new bursary funds will be available to students of the Victoria Conservatory of Music in financial need. His gift will be endowed, benefitting students in perpetuity. Based on financial need, students can receive between 30 and 60 percent off of their registration costs at the Victoria Conservatory.
“We are grateful to receive this extraordinary gift, and to carry on Mr. Underwood’s legacy by keeping music affordable and accessible in our community,” says Victoria Conservatory CEO, Nathan Medd.
Music was an important part of the Underwoods’ lives. Mr. Underwood took flute lessons at the Conservatory, and after borrowing a double bass from a friend, he learned to play it. An electrician by trade, Mr. Underwood was an active member of the music community. He played bass in the Cowichan Consort Orchestra, the Cowichan Camerata String Orchestra, and the string chamber group Tall Strings. Mrs. Underwood was an active folk dancer and could often be found collecting tickets at the door of Mr. Underwood’s concerts.
“We know that the cost of living has risen, and families are feeling it more than most. Last year, demand for bursary funds at the Conservatory outpaced what we had available,” says Conservatory CEO Nathan Medd. “As a not for profit, we are pleased to able to provide bursaries based on financial need to qualifying students.”
To learn more about how to register and to register for classes and programs at the Victoria Conservatory of Music, visit Register
To apply for a bursary, and for more information about bursaries, visit Scholarships and Bursaries
To learn more about how to leave a legacy through the Victoria Conservatory of Music, visit Create a Legacy
