BVA AWARDS & PRIZES
Page updated: 4th May 2010
Van Lawrence Prize Winner 2010: Dr Jenevora Williams
Dr Jenevora Williams receiving the 2010 Van Lawrence Prize from John Rubin
We are pleased to announce that the winner of the 2010 Van Lawrence Prize is Dr Jenevora Williams for her paper entitled: "The implications of intensive singing training on the vocal health and development of boy choristers in an English cathedral choir".
The next Van Lawrence Prize will be awarded in 2012. Further details and 'call for papers' late 2011.
The Van Lawrence Prize
Van L Lawrence (1928-1990) was an outstanding American otolaryngologist who was known and admired by all those specialising in voice. He was one of a number of generous professionals who supported the early Voice Research Society conferences, often at his own expense. He also allowed us to market his 1987 video "Suggested Criteria for Fibreoptic Diagnosis of Laryngeal Hyperfunction" to help raise money to support the new Society.
To honour his contribution to the voice world in the UK, the BVA has instituted an award in his name to be offered biannually, provided there are sufficient applicants of a suitable standard.
Photo courtesy Houston Royal Opera Archives
PAST VAN LAWRENCE PRIZE WINNERS
| 2008 | JUDE BRERETON "The effect of different acoustic environments on singing voice performance". Read abstract |
| 2006 | No prize awarded |
| 2004 | SUE ANDERSON "The interaction of sensory modalities in the learning and memorisation procedures of professional and student singers". Read submission |
| 2002 | JANE GINSBORG "Off by heart: expert singers' memorisation strategies and recall for the words and music of songs". |
The Gunnar Rugheimer Award
Gunnar Rugheimer (1923-2003) was the man behind the idea of a British Association dedicated to the subject of Voice. His original proposal resulted in the foundation of the Voice Research Society, which later amalgamated with "Care of the Professional Voice UK" to become The British Voice Association. Gunnar's drive, advice, skills, patience and generosity allowed the British Voice Association to flourish, becoming first a charity and then a charitable limited company. Gunnar was a strong and inspiring personality, full of ideas and with the energy to realise them, a consummate negotiator. He brought all of these extraordinary qualities to bear in his work for the BVA. He was also a major driving force behind the first Pan European Voice Conference (PEVoC) becoming its first Secretary-General.
Gunnar had a lifetime's commitment to communication, working first as a journalist and later in broadcasting where he helped shape the course of broadcasting history in Canada, Britain, Ireland and Scandinavia. To honour his name and his unique contribution to the British Voice Association the Association has established the Gunnar Rugheimer Lecture. The lectures take place bi-annually and are given by invited speakers eminent in the world of voice. We hope they will continue to reflect Gunnar's spirit, his enthusiasm and passion for voice and communication.
PAST GUNNAR RUGHEIMER LECTURES
| 2009 | DR EVELYN ABBERTON (Phonetician and Speech Language Therapist, London University) "Don't Look at Me with That Tone of Voice!" |
| 2007 | PROFESSOR BILL HARDCASTLE (Director of the Speech Science, Queen Margaret's University, Edinburgh) "Imaging the Tongue and other Articulators in Normal and Disordered Speech" |
