The Sydney Conservatorium’s Open Academy has a program for gifted young musicians aged 5 to 18 called Rising Stars. It’s a performance-based program that offers comprehensive music education with support from the academic staff of The Con. The program incorporates a weekly one on one, hour long lesson on an instrument with a Conservatorium accredited teacher; preparation for and presentation of pieces in regular concerts, accompanied by a professional musician (these concerts are held on Saturday mornings in one of the Con’s Recital Halls and are open to the public); and a weekly Music Skills class on Saturday mornings where students will work in small groups to study theory and musicianship, or musicology with guest lecturers for advanced students. Entry to the program is by audition. Auditions for Semester 1, 2010 will be held in October. Fees are $1,885 per semester with limited scholarships available. Visit the website to find out more: http://www.music.usyd.edu.au/community/young_academy/rising_stars.shtml