PR: Blackwood Awards $25,500 in Music Scholarships to Students Nationwide
Image: Scholarship Winners [click image for larger view]
BLACKWOOD AWARDS $25,500 IN MUSIC SCHOLARSHIPS TO STUDENTS NATIONWIDE
Representing areas all over the country as well as diverse musical backgrounds, the winners will be performing at a free recital at the Blackwood Estate in Harrisville, PA on May 17 at 2 pm. The public is welcome to attend.
Keoni Bolding is a gifted violinist from the Souderton Area High School in Roslyn, PA. He is concert-master for the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra and has performed with the Southeast Pennsylvania Symphony and several All-Eastern Orchestra Festivals.
Tiffany Daniels is a trombonist from Clarion-Limestone High School. She has excelled in her school music program as well as the Pennsylvania Music Educator’s Association (PMEA) District jazz band and numerous Honors ensembles. Tiffany has received early acceptance as a music major at Slippery Rock University and will be attending in the fall.
Claire and Kemper Edwards are originally from Kent, England and are homeschooled in Sewickley, PA. Both are remarkable violinists trained in the Russian School. Claire has participated in master classes at Kronberg Academy in Germany and was the 2015 Pittsburgh Concert Society Young Artist Winner. She has been accepted into the Konservatorium Wien in Vienna, Austria.
Kemper has also attended master classes at Kronberg Academy in Germany, is a member of both the Three Rivers Young Peoples Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra. In 2012, he was the Pittsburgh Concert Society Young Artist Winner. Kemper will pursue his education in music performance at the University of Cambridge (St. John’s College) in England.
Michael Fleming, a B flat tuba player from Curwensville Area High School, located in central Pennsylvania. He has been Chair in PMEA District, Regional, and State Bands and Orchestras. He also participated in the National Association of Music Educators All National Honors Band in Nashville and the New York University Brass Workshop, as well as Penn State’s Summer Honors Music Institute.
Jacob McAleavey is a student at the Pittsburgh Creative Arts and Performing Magnet School (CAPA) and has a true love of music with a flair for the double bass. He has participated in PMEA orchestras since the age of 12 and is a long-standing member of the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony.
Traveling the farthest for the audition was Ashley Suh from The High School of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. She is an accomplished double bassist that has participated in the Carnegie Mellon Precollege program, the North Carolina Governor’s School, and the North Carolina All-State and N.C. Honors All-State orchestras.
Scholarships were awarded on the basis of musical talent, recommendations from private and high school music teachers, academic performance, the written essay, motivation and financial need. Finalists auditioned at Heinz Hall on March 8 before a panel of musicians from the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. “The judges were overwhelmed by the dedication and talent demonstrated by each of the participants, and said it was impossible to rank one over another, said Ben Robertson, co-founder of the Blackwood Theater Organ Society. “We are delighted that the Scholarship Committee chose to increase the award money.”
Since 2001, the Society has awarded more than $246,000 in scholarships to 71 of the top high school musicians. Scholarship amounts range from $2500 to $5000 with an average of six recipients per year. Past recipients have attended some of the most renowned music schools in the country including Julliard, the New England Conservatory of Music, Oberlin College, Berklee College of Music and the Eastman School of Music. This year’s winners will be adding two acclaimed international music schools to the list.
The Blackwood Theater Organ Society is a not-for-profit organization created to encourage students to pursue instrumental music performance careers. The Blackwood Estate is home to a rare Wurlitzer theater pipe organ and concerts featuring internationally-acclaimed performers are held annually with the proceeds going towards the scholarship fund and other charities.
For scholarship and other information for the Blackwood Theatre Organ Society scholarships visit www.blackwoodmusic.org or contact Ben Robertson at ben@blackwoodmusic.org or by phone at 724.735.2813.
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