Coffee 2 Conductor Challenge!
One of the biggest challenges of studying overseas is managing finances. It has been nearly three years since I left Sydney in order to begin my studies in conducting at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. At this current stage I am halfway through the course and still have three more years left to go until I graduate! I've managed to come this far in my studies thanks to awards from the Ian Potter Cultural Trust, Australia Council for the Arts (Skills Development), PPCA Performers' Trust Foundation, as well as financial support from my family. Plus I spent four years working in Australia to save up for this course. However things are getting difficult as I am running out of grants to apply for (as grants received were one-offs, not recurring), and have already contributed all of my own personal savings. To complicate things further, it's forbidden for foreigners on a student visa to work in Russia. Therefore I must think of creative ways to try and support my studies,