Magherafelt opera singer to benefit from share in £1m career development funding
Magherafelt-based opera singer Rebecca Murphy is one of three artists from the Mid Ulster area to benefit from more than £1 million funding from the National Lottery and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.
Rebecca, along with Brid Harper and Sheena Wilkinson, will receive funding to create new work.
The artists will now go on to develop a series of projects. Rebecca will use the funding towards a professional development project in two strands, one with an orchestra and another as a recitalist.
A total of 162 artists from across the region are set to benefit from the latest round of funding.
It is part of the Arts Council’s National Lottery Project Funding for Individual Artists (PFIA) scheme, supports artists across all artforms who are at various stages of their artistic careers, including emerging artists.
The National Lottery Project Funding for Individual Artists scheme forms part of the Arts Council’s wider Support for the Individual Artist Programme (SIAP) and aims to support the wide range of activity that can be undertaken by artists of all disciplines in relation to their practice, and to enable innovation and experimentation.
Noirin McKinney, Director of Arts Development at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, said, “The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is thrilled to announce more than £1m in funding for 162 exceptional artists based in Northern Ireland, through our National Lottery Project Funding for Individual Artists scheme.
"These grants, worth up to £10,000 each, provide artists with the financial means to take their professional, artistic careers to that all-important next level. The programme also supports innovation and experimentation and addresses the need for on-going skills development and training.”