Sennheiser has announced that Alex Snape, a talented first-year student of the BA (Hons) Sound Technology course, has been selected as the deserving recipient of the prestigious Sennheiser 2023 LIPA Scholarship. As part of the scholarship, Snape will receive a financial bursary for his tuition, gain access to Sennheiser’s vast network of contacts, and benefit from the audio specialist’s unparalleled industry experience, expertise, and mentorship.
Snape, who was born and raised in North Wales, considers the opportunity to study at LIPA to be a dream come true. “It almost feels wrong to ask for more!” he exclaims. “Being able to pursue my passion in a place like LIPA, compared to my rural hometown, already feels like a dream. But I have also learned that it is important to create my own opportunities.”
For a second year, Ben Harrison, Theatre Sound Designer, was enlisted to support Tim Sherratt, Strategic Planning Manager at Sennheiser, with the difficult task of selecting just one student from the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts’ pool of talented and highly motivated first-year honours students. “It was a pleasure to work alongside Tim again this year awarding the Sennheiser Scholarship”, he recalls. “The quality of work from the applicants was again incredible, and it was wonderful to meet and chat with so many students over the course of our two days. Alex is hugely deserving of the scholarship, and I look forward to seeing how he takes his studies and career forward with the opportunities it will bring him”.
Snape has never been one to shy away from opportunities in his chosen field of Sound Technology. At just 21 years old, he already holds an impressive resume of sound proofing part of his family home, solo travelling to South America to field-record a vast amount of sounds, and now the proud beneficiary of the Sennheiser LIPA Scholarship, gaining Sherratt as a fan in the process. “In the end, we can only award the one scholarship,” Sherratt affirms, “and with Alex’s combination of passion for the creative matched with his technical proficiency, I am confident he will delight us in the future with his creations, in whatever format they materialise. He has left me curious, and I will be following him closely.”
Going through the selection process for the Scholarship is no small feat, and there was no compromise on quality from the students this year. “As always, the job of selecting the student to receive the Scholarship award is a challenge,” said Sherratt. “Jon [Thornton, LIPA’s Head of Sound Technology] and his team have spent many years refining their craft, selecting the best candidates who will benefit from the Sound Technology course, and we are starting from a high bar! Having the support of Ben Harrison to assist throughout the selection process and provide inspiration for the creative task we gave the students was much appreciated.”
Challenging as it may be, the selection process is a rewarding one, allowing both Sherratt and Harrison to meet with talented and promising candidates every single year. “Getting to spend a few days immersed in the environment at LIPA is always one of the highlights of my year,” Sherratt adds. “I always come back inspired by the enthusiasm, dedication and talent that is displayed by the students at LIPA”.
For over 25 years, Sennheiser’s LIPA scholarship has provided students the opportunity to collaborate with global sound technology professionals. In addition to this prestigious scholarship, Sennheiser also provide LIPA with state-of-the-art equipment, and in 2022 announced they will be adding yet another generous opportunity for LIPA students; a BA/MArts Filmmaking & Creative Technologies course, an opportunity for future storytellers, filmmakers, creatives, and technicians to improve their skills and deliver exceptional content.
“May the productive partnership between LIPA and Sennheiser thrive for many years to come,” concluded Sherratt.