Recent Scholarship Wins for Academy Students
March 1st, 2016
March 12, 2016 - Musichorale Scholarship Competition
Nathan Mo, 17, Academy cello student of Hans Jensen, won the Musichorale Scholarship Competition on Saturday, March 12 with a performance of Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations. Zechary Mo, 14, Academy violin student of Almita Vamos received Honorable Mention with the third movement of the Bruch Violin Concerto. Nathan will perform on the Musichorale's Spring Concert on April 24 at the Ozinga Auditorium at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights.
Each year, Musichorale hosts a vocal contest in the fall and an instrumental contest in the spring, and awards three monetary prizes: $1,000 first place, $500 second place, $250 third place winners, as well as honorable mentions.
The 2015 instrumental winner was violinist John Heo.
March 6, 2016 - Opera Society's Eleanor Pearce Sherwin Scholarship
Joshua Brown, 16, violin student of Almita and Roland Vamos, won the Opera Society's Eleanor Pearce Sherwin Scholarship. The applicants for "piano, strings, and other solo instruments" were between the ages of 14 and 35. Joshua played select movements from Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, Mozart Sonata K.301, Bach Sonata No. 1, and Waxman Carmen Fantasie. As a scholarship recipient, Joshua will perform in a recital next October. Previous Academy winners include violinists Karisa Chiu and Lydia Umlauf, '10.
March 5, 2016 - Musicians Club of Women Scholarships
Congratulations to violinists Karisa Chiu, 16, Academy student of Almita Vamos and Hannah White, 16, Academy student of Almita Vamos and Hye-Sun Lee, winners of the Musicians Club of Women Scholarship audition on March 5.
Karisa is the recipient of the 2016 Jerome and Elaine Nerenberg Foundation Scholarship and Hannah is the recipient of the Farwell Trust Award. The students will receive cash prizes and a free three-year membership in the Musicians Club of Women. They will also perform later in the year when the club presents a monthly concert series for the public in Preston Bradley Hall, Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington, and in Buchanan Chapel, Fourth Church, North Michigan Avenue at Delaware Street, Chicago for MCW members and guests at the Union League Club of Chicago.
About the Musicians Club of Women
Musicians Club of Women (MCW) is the oldest musical club in America. In 1873, a group of five music-loving women began meeting informally to play and sing for each other in what became known as "The Amateur Musical Club." Ensuing years witnessed phenomenal growth in both the size of the membership and the amount of musical activity. In an age prior to the existence of musical impresarios, the Amateur Musical Club acted in this capacity, presenting concerts by some of the greatest artists of the period, including Jan Paderewski, José Iturbi, Alexander Scriabin, Dame Myra Hess, Edward MacDowell and the noted American violinist Maud Powell, to mention only a few. The spirit of philanthropy and of supporting women musicians developed early in the club's history. In 1893, the proceeds of a benefit concert were used to establish and maintain a music scholarship for young women. Thus began one of the most important traditions of Musicians Club of Women—the awarding of annual scholarships to assist young women in furthering their musical studies.
February 20, 2016 Park Ridge Civic Orchestra Student Scholarships
The Park Ridge Civic Orchestra awards two Student Scholarships every year. Each scholarship was presented to the winners at the Park Ridge Civic Orchestra concert on March 16. Over the past 23 seasons the PRCO has awarded more than $30,000 to deserving students to continue their musical studies at the college level. In addition to the cash award, winners are often given performance opportunities. Nicholas Brown, violin student of Almita and Roland Vamos, won the J. Mark Waltz Memorial Scholarship, underwritten by Karin Waltz in honor of her late husband, J. Mark Waltz, a long-time member of the PRCO's bass section. Leevy Williams, cello student of Gilda Barston and Hans Jensen, was a co-winner of the Rotary International Educational Scholarship, underwritten by the Rotary Club of Park Ridge.