ABOUT
BIO + AWARDS
it is not easy to pigeonhole
RONAN APCAR - one of australia's many young musicians who are quickly garnering a reputation of versatility, edge, and tenacity
his passion for all kinds of music - jazz to the avant-garde, classical to house music - translates into his exciting work as a musician, not just as a performer and a composer but also as a collaborator and an artist
BEGINNINGS
It all began with a humble Nintendo DS console where Ronan found a little piano game. Wanting to play the 'real deal,' he began teaching himself how to play piano at age eight. After formal lessons and many bad habits unlearnt, Ronan attended the Sydney Conservatorium of Music High School to dive into the big wide world of music.
TODAY
Ronan has returned to Sydney to focus on various projects throughout 2025 including concert work, recording work, residencies, and collaborative work with other artists and organisations.
His current main creative focus is about developing a performance practice that both incorporates electronic or digital musicmaking and is portable, and exploring all the possibilities of live performance that this opens up - especially different performance
spaces.
AWARDS + ACHIEVEMENTS
2024
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David Richards Award for Most Outstanding Performance of a Contemporary Work in an ANAM Recital ANAM, Melbourne
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Love Supreme Grant Australian National University, Canberra
2023
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Freedman Fellowship - Nominee Australia
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ADFAS Yarra Prize for Most Outstanding Program in an ANAM Recital ANAM, Melbourne
2022
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Canberra Critics' Circle Award for Music Canberra
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National Young Virtuoso Award - Second Prize 3MBS Melbourne 103.5FM, Melbourne
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ACT Young Virtuoso Award - Winner ArtSound FM, Canberra
2021
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Bachelor in Music (Performance/Composition) ANU School of Music, Canberra
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Peter & Lena Karmel Anniversary Prize in Music ANU School of Music, Canberra
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Harold Wesley Allen Memorial Prize ANU School of Music, Canberra
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Imad Nassir Prize for Piano Performance ANU School of Music, Canberra
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Whitworth Roach Classical Music Competition - Third Prize ANU School of Music, Canberra
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Friends Ensemble Prize - First Prize and People's Choice ANU School of Music, Canberra
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Shirley Paton Memorial Scholarship Music Teachers' Association of New South Wales
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Young Artist Canberra International Music Festival 2021
2020
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Licentiate in Music, Australia (Distinction) Australian Music Examinations Board
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Harold Wesley Allen Memorial Prize ANU School of Music, Canberra
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Imad Nassir Prize for Piano Performance ANU School of Music, Canberra
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Erika Haas Prize ANU School of Music, Canberra
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Winifred Burston Memorial Prize ANU School of Music, Canberra
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Certificate of Distinction Neapolitan Masters Competition, Naples
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Merit Award 2nd WPTA Finland International Piano Competition, Helsinki
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Friends of the School of Music Performance Scholarship ANU School of Music, Canberra
2019
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Erika Haas Prize ANU School of Music, Canberra
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Winifred Burston Memorial Prize ANU School of Music, Canberra
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Margaret Smiles Accompaniment Prize ANU School of Music, Canberra
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Willgoss Choral Composition Prize UNSW Music Performance Unit, Sydney
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Dennis Griffin Undergraduate Scholarship ANU School of Music, Canberra
2018
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James Easton Memorial Composition Award Conservatorium High School, Sydney
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Conservatorium High School Concerto Competition - First Prize Conservatorium High School, Sydney
2017
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Sydney Chamber Opera Masterclass Carriageworks, Sydney
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Artology Fanfare Competition Artology, Sydney