Dare to Dream Scholarship is helping Louis take the stage

Louis Fetting, 17, is ready to take the music world by storm as he prepares to study a Bachelor of Music at The Sydney Conservatorium of Music. He is one of eight inspiring young Australians to be awarded a Redkite and Coles Dare to Dream Scholarship.  

The Redkite and Coles Dare to Dream Scholarship was established to inspire young people whose physical or mental health has been affected by cancer, to achieve their goals and ambitions. This scholarship, funded by Coles, helps young people build their future and can be put towards education or life goals.  

Louis was an exceptionally talented musician, playing the trombone at The Sydney Opera and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with multiple music ensembles. His love of music came from intensive early childhood therapies participating in speech, sensory and sound therapies in particularly music therapy.  

By high school, he was all set to enter the Sydney Youth Orchestra and studying a Bachelor of Music at university.  About to enter his final year of high school, Louis’s life changed when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma.  

Undergoing cancer treatment was intense, which meant Louis had to make sacrifices, from his casual job to accepting he wouldn’t be able to complete year 12 and go on to university to study.  

“Chemotherapy was tough, and the fatigue was debilitating. Very quickly it was obvious that I couldn’t complete Year 12 or complete my ATAR, and I definitely wouldn’t be going to the Conservatorium of Music in 2023 with my peers,” he said.  

During treatment, Louis started thinking about looking for new opportunities. His mother Rachel watched her son rethink his entire future.   

“Louis was just amazing, he seemed to gain some inner strength. I am so proud of him and have learned so much more about him, his maturity, resilience, his new perspective on life”  

The impact of treatment meant Louis had almost lost his passion for music until he had the opportunity to attend his last high school band camp. He returned from camp more determined than ever to make his music dreams a reality. After a whirlwind audition, Louis received an offer to study a Bachelor of Music at The Sydney Conservatorium of Music with his peers starting in March 2023. 

Since 2013, Redkite and Coles have awarded more than $700,000 in Dare to Dream Scholarships to support young Australians whose aspirations and goals have been impacted by their cancer diagnosis.