The Peter Gibbons Bursary Fund

As chairman of BISYOC for its first 18 years, Peter Gibbons was a driving force behind BISYOC for all of its history up until now. Due to his recent passing away, we want to honour his tireless efforts by initiating a bursary fund in his name that will benefit the continuing of BISYOC. This fund will give students who would not normally be able to attend such a course a chance at the unforgettable experience it is.

Peter Gibbons announcing the first ever BISYOC concert in Presteigne, UK in 2001.
Peter Gibbons assisting a Spanish tuba player during his last BISYOC summer course in North Macedonia in 2019.

Peter Gibbons will always be remembered for his willingness to step in and assist in any situation. The story behind the picture on the left is that before the final concert in Struga, North Macedonia in 2019 the brass group went outside to perform on the front steps of the Struga cultural centre in view of the riverside promenade, with the aim of drawing in passers-by from their touristic perambulations. And there is Peter, in the middle of it all, assisting a young Spanish tuba player, resolutely stopping his music from blowing away. This is but a tiny metaphor for the immensity of Peter’s work and dedication over the years. The music was what mattered to him, in every sense of the phrase, for participants and audience. His combined characteristics of commitment and modesty are two things that we will always remember him for, among many others.

The Peter Gibbons Bursary Fund is a social scholarship open to all BISYOC participants. Its aim is to provide financial support for participants who otherwise would not be able to join BISYOC.

The fund runs solely on donations. Once the details for the next summer course are fixes, participants can apply to the bursary. A dedicated committee will be overlooking the application process and select suitable applicants. The details of the application process, selection criteria and members of the committee will be announced shortly.

All money donated into the fund will be solely used to financially support BISYOC participants from economically less privileged backgrounds.

Ways to Donate

Please address your donation to:

Account Owner: BISYOC
IBAN: DE42430609671085318900
BIC: GENODEM1GLS
Comment: Peter Gibbons Bursary Fund

Please address your donation to:

Account Owner: BISYOC
Bank Name: TransferWise
Account Number: 82660872
Sort-Code: 23-14-70
Address: TransferWise 56 Shoreditch High Street London E1 6JJ United Kingdom
Comment: Peter Gibbons Bursary Fund

Please follow this link and follow the instructions there.

Please address cheques to:

BISYOC – European Intercultural Youth Orchestra e.V.
Zwischen den Baechen 9, DE-79618 Rheinfelden, GERMANY
Comment: Peter Gibbons Bursary Fund

Please note: We can only accept cheques from the UK in the currency of Pound Sterling. Cheques from a British bank in Euros cannot be cashed in due to Brexit.

If you have any questions, please contact us and we will get back to you.

As a German charitable organisation we are able to give you a receipt for your donation that you can use to claim back your tax.
Please write to accounting@bisyoc.eu from a valid email address and state the date and amount of donation you have made. We will get back to you with a receipt.

As a German charitable organisation we are able to give you a receipt for your donation.

However, international tax law is complicated and we are not experts in this field.
If you are from a EU country you can in principle use our receipt to claim back your taxes, but it might require additional documents.
We are happy to assist to the best of our capabilities. Please write to accounting@bisyoc.eu from a valid email address and state the date and amount of donation you have made and what additional documents you need.

Since the UK left the EU, a tax refund is in principle not possible.
If you think that special conditions apply to you or you would still receive a receipt, please contact accounting@bisyoc.eu.