2012 Scholarship Award Recipients
We wish to thank the Starling Foundation, the Foundation for the Advancement of String Education, the National Federation of Music Clubs and all of the sponsors of these scholarships for their generous help in support of deserving and highly talented students attending Meadowmount.
2012 STARLING FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
The nationally recognized Starling Foundation, whose mission is to support leading American violin teachers and their studios, has chosen to add the studio of Jan MarkSloman, longtime DMTA member and supporter, to its list of recipients. Their commitment to Mr. Sloman's studio at the famed Meadowmount School of Music includes both scholarship and private lesson assistance.
Phoenix Avalon, 11 from Santa Fe , NM is a student of Carmelo de los Santos and Jan Mark Sloman. Previously, he studied with Rick Lohmann. In 2012, Phoenix was a finalist at the Mondavi Center Young Instrumentalists Competition and attended the Philadelphia International Music Festival. At Meadowmount, Phoenix studies with Jan Mark Sloman.
Born in 1994, violinist Ruth Chang started the violin at the age of four and is currently studying with Jan Mark Sloman. Recently, she won the 2012 Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra's Young Artists' Competition playing Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D Major and subsequently performed in concert with the orchestra. In addition, she was awarded The Bayard H. Friedman Award for Outstanding Student in the Performing Arts. Ruth has had the opportunity to play for artists such as Ida and Ani Kavafian, Miriam Fried, Joseph Silverstein, James Ehnes, and Tong Wei-Dong. Ruth has attended The Meadowmount School of Music as a merit scholarship student for the past four summers. In the fall, Ruth will begin her studies with Paul Biss at The New England Conservatory. At Meadowmount, she studies with Jan Mark Sloman.
Paolo Dara, 13, from Grandville, Michigan is a student of Gregory Maytan. Previously, he studied with Irena Kocharova. He performs with the Grand Rapids Youth Symphony and the Grandville Middle School Orchestra, with which he has also appeared as soloist. Additionally, Paolo was concertmaster of the Michigan All-State Middle School Orchestra. At Meadowmount, Paolo studies with Jan Mark Sloman.
Abigail Fuchs, age 14, from Frisco Texas attends Heritage high School and studies with Jan Mark Sloman at home and at Meadowmount. She has won awards from The Dallas Music Teachers Association and Symphonic Festival and the Collin County young Artists Competition.
15-year-old Jordan Lee is from Plano, TX. She has won various awards at the Dallas Symphonic Festival, the North Texas Youth Music Competition, and the Collin County Young Artist Competition. In 2011, she was the Texas state representative of the Junior String Division at the Music Teachers National Association competition. Jordan was also a member of the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra for three years, and recently participated in the 2011 Texas All-State Symphony Orchestra. During her summers, Jordan has participated in the Heifetz International Music Institute, the Great Wall International Music Academy, the Meadowmount School of Music, and the Institute For Strings. Jordan started playing the violin when she was three years old, studying with Paul Landefeld. At Meadowmount, Jordan studies with Jan Mark Sloman.
Violinist Mengjiao Li is currently attending the University of Delaware’s Department of Music, studying with professor Xiang Gao. She started playing the violin at the age of four and was accepted into the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing as a scholarship student. She has won many competitions, including the 250th Mozart International Violin Competition and the University of Delaware Concerto Competition.
At Meadowmount, she studies with Jan Mark Sloman.
Enrique Rodrigues, age 10, was introduced to the violin at the age of 5 and in a very short time he developed an immensely special bond with the Instrument.
In 2010 he began studies with Duoming Ba who is a member of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. Enrique has won several awards at various competitions. Winner at the ASTA/NJ Solo Competition Early Bird Division, Gold Medal Winner at the NJ/MTA Young Musician’s Competition, Gold Medal Winner at the Golden Key Music Festival, Gold Medal Winner at the Prima International Competition, Bronze Medal Winner at the Bravura Concerto Competition and Winner of the 2012 New York Shining Stars Concerti Sinfonietta. At Meadowmount he studies with Jan Mark Sloman.
Kiarra Saito-Beckman, 13 is from Bend, OR and attends Cascade Middle School. She is currently a student of Holland Phillips and Jan Mark Sloman. Her former teachers include Shelley Rich, Becky Hunter and Sophie Therrell. Kiarra has performed as a soloist with the Central Oregon Symphony. She has won competitions such as the ASTA State Competition and was the alternate winner in the ASTA National Competition. During the summer, she attends Meadowmount School of Music and studies with Jan Mark Sloman.
Violinist Amelia Sie is well known to concert audiences in the Pacific Northwest, having made her solo debut with the Seattle Festival Orchestra at age eight. She has gone on to perform with the Seattle Symphony, Coeur d'Alene Symphony, Bellevue Philharmonic, Cascade Symphony, the Sammamish Symphony, and Philharmonia Northwest, playing repertoire as varied as Sarasate, Bruch, Ravel, Mendelssohn, Saint-Saëns, and Paganini. She is the 2012 winner of Seattle Young Artists Music Festival Concerto Competition and has been featured on National Public Radio's "From the Top" program. Amelia, 15, is a student of Simon James and Jan Mark Sloman and works with pianist Hiro David. She studied previously with Katsutoshi Nakamura and the Pressley Violin Studio, where she was a Starling Scholar. She has performed in master classes for Brian Lewis, Vadim Repin, Leonidas Kavakos, Paul Kantor, James Ehnes, Ida Kavafian, Grigory Kalinovsky, William Van der Sloot, Joseph Silverstein, Renaud Capucon, Margaret Batjer, Henry Gronnier, and Andres Cardenes. Amelia, a part-time student at Newport High School and part-time homeschooler, is a member of the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra and studies each summer as a scholarship recipient at the Meadowmount School of Music. At Meadowmount, Amelia studies with Jan Mark Sloman.
Cuban violinist, Silvia Suarez graduated from Instituto Superior de Arte in La Habana Cuba while studying with Professor Alfredo Muñoz. She was a finalist in the International Competition “Jose White” and obtained 2nd place in the National Competiton “Amadeo Roldan”. Silvia was soloist and concertmaster of the Camerata Romeu Chamber Orchestra, toured Cuba, Venezuela, Mexico and France with conductor Zenaida Romeu. In 2003 she was selected to perform in a Youth Orchestra under the baton of Claudio Abbado.
Miss Suarez has attended music festivals in the USA, Mexico, France and Cuba. She received her masters degree from Lynn University Conservatory of Music in Boca Raton, Florida where she studied with Professor Carol Cole. She is currently studying with Elmar Oilveiro and pursuing a Professional Performance Certificate.
Traci Theisen, age 16, lives in Plano, Texas, where she studies with Jan Mark Sloman of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. She has won 1st place at the Mississippi State Special Recognition Recital three times, and has won 1st place at the Collin County Young Artists Competition in the Senior String Division twice. Traci has also won second place at both the Hubbard Chamber and Solo Music Competition and the Dallas Symphonic Festival. Traci has attended various summer camps including the Institute for Strings in Dallas, Texas, the Conservatory of Music in the Mountains in Durango, Colorado, and the Meadowmount School of Music as a Starling Scholarship recipient in Westport, New York.
She has also participated in many orchestras, including the 2011 and 2012 Texas All-State Orchestra, the Dallas Asian-American Youth Orchestra, the New Conservatory of Dallas, the Mississippi Youth Symphony Orchestra, and the Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestra. Traci will be an 11th-grader at the Texas Academy of Math and Science at the University of North Texas this upcoming school year. This is her third year at Meadowmount as a student of Jan Mark Sloman.
Jackie Tso, 15 years old, is a 10th grader at the Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy. She currently studies with Almita and Roland Vamos, and attends the Music Institute of Chicago in the Academy program.
Jackie made her debut with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra when she was 8 years old at its Young People's Concert in November of 2005, and was invited back to play again in February and March of 2009. She made her debut with the Santa Fe Concert Association Orchestra on September 5th, 2009 and played with them again in 2011 on their Chtristmas Eve Concert. She has also played with the Beijing Broadcasting Orchestra, Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, Blue Ash Montgomery Symphony Orchestra, Seven Hills Sinfonietta, and the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra. Jackie was recently on NPR's From the top show in January 2012 at Kalamazoo, MI.
She was the winner of the Young Artist Competition of the Blue Ash Montgomery Symphony Orchestra in 2008 and 2009, the Overture Awards Scholarship Competition in 2001, and the 2nd place winner of the Great Wall International Music Academy concerto competition in 2007. Jackie is the concertmistress of the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra and also won their concerto competition in 2011. She will be playing in the side-by-side concert with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in May 2012.
She has played in master classes for Pinchas Zukerman, Ida Kavafian, Vadim Repin, Tong Wei-Dong, Michael Ma, and Bill VanDerSloot. She was selected by the Cincy Magazine as one of the most interesting people in 2009. At Meadowmount, Jackie studies with Jan Mark Sloman.
Carina Vincenti, from Seattle Washington, is a student of Simon James. Formerly, she studied with Jan and Kent Coleman. She has performed as soloist with the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. Also, she was a finalist in the 2012 Stulberg International Competition. Prior to Meadowmount, she attended the Marrowstone Music Festival. This fall, she will begin her studies with Jamie Laredo at The Cleveland Institute of Music. At Meadowmount, Carina studies with Jan Mark Sloman.
Christine Wu, a 16 year old violinist from Plano, Texas, began studying with Paul Landefeld at the age of 3 and has been a student of Jan Mark Sloman for the past 9 years. In addition to violin, she takes piano lessons with Annie Lin.
In 2010, Christine was the Texas state winner, South Central Division winner and a national finalist for the MTNA Junior String Performance Competition. She was awarded first place at the Dallas Symphonic Festival multiple times since 2003, and in 2012, after being named the grand prize winner, she performed Paganini Violin Concerto No. 1 with the SMU Meadows Symphony.
Christine was selected as a semi-finalist at the Schmidbauer International Competition in 2011 and the Lennox International Competition in 2012. She performed in the Texas All-State Symphony Orchestra in 2010, 2011, and as the concertmaster in 2012. She was also invited to perform with the Mesquite Symphony in November of 2012 and at the 7th annual Charles Barr Memorial Concert in May of 2013. She had the opportunity to perform with the Ottawa Chamber Orchestra in 2009. At Meadowmount, Christine studies with Jan Mark Sloman.
FOUNDATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF STRING EDUCATION
A grant awarded by the Foundation for the Advancement of String Education for the Viola Studio of Patricia McCarty has made possible the following George Bornoff Viola Scholarships.
Miriam Barfield began studying the violin at age six and the viola at thirteen. She graduated magna cum laude from Florida State University, where she studied with Pamela Ryan.
Miriam was a state winner for the ASTA National Solo Competition in 2010 (Massachusetts) and in 2008 (Florida). She has performed in solo master classes for Joseph Silverstein, Robert Spano, James Dunham, and Thomas Dumm. At age 17, she became one of the youngest members of the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra (Miriam Burns, director.) She has also played with the Tallahassee Ballet, Southeast Chamber Orchestra (Birmingham, AL), Sinfonia Gulf Coast (Destin, FL), and, most recently, as principal for the Cape Ann Symphony (Massachusetts.)
Miriam also plays baroque violin and viola as a soloist and section member in the Tallahassee Bach Parley, a professional chamber ensemble that performs on period instruments. Summer festivals attended include Brevard Music Center and Schlern International Music Festival in Völs am Schlern, Italy.
This is Miriam’s fourth summer studying with Patricia McCarty at Meadowmount. She is pursuing a master’s degree at the Boston Conservatory.
Robert Donowick is 17 years old and lives in West Seneca, New York. He has been playing the viola since fourth grade and currently studies with Valerie Heywood. He has served as principal of the New York State Summer Orchestra and the Greater Buffalo Youth Orchestra. Robert has been the principal violist for the Southtowns Youth Orchestra, with whom he has performed the Stamitz Concerto, and has also performed with the Orchard Park Symphony Orchestra and the Cheektowaga Symphony Orchestra.
During the New York State School of Orchestral Studies camp in 2010, Robert won the Dean L. Harrington Memorial Scholarship. He has also won the New York Viola Society Award and was chosen by WNED for their Young Performer’s Series. In 2011, he won the Christopher T. and Carmen Hughes Memorial Scholarship and the Orchard Park Symphony Orchestra Scholarship. In addition to his orchestral playing, Robert is an active chamber musician in the Buffalo area. At Meadowmount, Robert studies with Patricia McCarty.
Robert Pile, violist from Millwood, New York, studies at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music with Michael Strauss. He is a student of Patricia McCarty at Meadowmount.
Gabrielle Skinner, 18 years old, from Virginia Beach, VA, is enrolled in the bachelor’s program at the Cleveland Institute of Music as a viola student of Kirsten Docter. Ms. Kinner has performed with the Governor’s School for the Arts, the Virginia Symphony, and the Hampton Road’s Chamber Player’s Ensemble. She made her solo debut at the Governor’s School for the Arts, where she played Paul Hindemith’s Der Schwanendreher. Gabrielle has also collaborated and played with the Alborada Trio.
In 2012, Gabrielle performed at the International Viola Congress. Ms. Skinner placed second in the regional Bland competition, and placed first in the John Marshall competition sponsored by Symphonicity. In past summers, she has attended the Sphinx Performance Academy, the North American Viola Institute, and the Meadowmount School of Music.
Ms. Skinner has performed in masterclasses for Heidi Castleman, Jutta Puchhammer-Sédillot, and Patricia McCarty. She has also had the opportunity to play for David Holland, Karen Dreyfus, and Daniel Sweaney. Gabrielle has performed in chamber music masterclasses for the Cavani, Miami, Brooklyn Rider, American, and Jupiter Quartets. In addition to music, Ms. Skinner enjoys reading, philosophy, and sailing.
At Meadowmount, Gabrielle studies with Patricia McCarty.
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF MUSIC CLUBS SCHOLARSHIPS
Meadowmount thanks the National Federation of Music Clubs for these yearly scholarships awarded to outstanding Meadowmount students.
15-year-old cellist Johannes Gray started cello at the age of two, and for the last 12 years he has studied with Hans Jørgen Jensen and Gilda Barston at the Music Institute of Chicago. Johannes has also played for a number of today's leading cellists including Aldo Parisot, Amit Peled, Anthony Elliot, David Finckel, Janos Starker, Laurence Lesser, Lynn Harrell, Ralph Kirshbaum, Robert Nagy, Timothy Eddy, Wendy Warner, Narek Hakhnazaryan, and Yo-Yo Ma, with whom he also had the opportunity to collaborate with in chamber music.
As a chamber musician, Johannes has played with the MIC Academy quartet, Quartet Stracciatella, which was a recent Finalist at the 2012 Fischoff Competition. Johannes has also played in Quartet Ventoso, which recently won first place in the Society of American Musician's Jules M. Laser chamber music competition. For the last two summers, Johannes participated in the Young Performers Program at Music@Menlo in Menlo Park, California under the direction of David Finckel and Wu Han.
Johannes has been awarded first place in many competitions such as the Walgreens National Concerto Competition, the Sejong Music Competition, the DePaul Concerto Festival for Young Performers, the Society of American Musicians Competition, and the 2011 Crain-Maling Youth Auditions. In February of 2012, he played on radio program From the Top. Johannes has also performed as guest artist with the Elmurst Symphony, the Highland Park Strings, the Skokie Valley Symphony, the Oistrak Symphony, and the Midwest Young Artist's Symphony. Recently, Johannes performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
At Meadowmount, Johannes studies with Hans Jørgen Jensen.
Haruno Sato, 17, was born in Japan and moved to the United States at a very young age. She is currently a junior at Shaker Heights High School in Cleveland, OH.
At the age of four, Haruno started playing the piano and at the age of seven, she took interest in the violin. Her former teachers include Kyoko Kashiwagi and Paul Kantor. In the fall, Haruno will be continuing her studies in the Young Artist Program of the Cleveland Institute of Music, studying with Stephen Rose, principal second violinist of the Cleveland Orchestra. Haruno is also a member of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, where she is currently serving as co-concertmaster.
Haruno served as concertmaster of the Detroit Symphony Civic Orchestra for two years, and has had the opportunity to work with many renowned conductors. As a member of the Detroit Civic Youth Ensembles she won their Concerto Competition twice and appeared as soloist with the Detroit Civic Philharmonic Orchestra as a result. She has also performed in educational concerts with the Warren Symphony Orchestra, and with the Cleveland Suburban Symphony Orchestra.
Haruno has participated in summer music festivals such as Interlochen in Michigan and the Meadowmount School of Music in New York, where she has studied with Sally Thomas for the past four summers. Haruno has also participated in masterclasses with Midori, Mayuko Kamio, Tong Wei-Dong, and Nicolaj Znaider.
In June 2011, Haruno and her friends organized a collaborative chamber music concert entitled, “Kizuna-Chamber Music for Japan”. This event benefited the Japanese Red Cross and “Doctors Without Borders.” In October 2011, her piano trio performed on NPR’s “From the Top” at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.
Haruno is one of two recipients of the 2011 Cleveland Institute of Music Alumni Association Award for Conservatory Study. The award recognizes a student that has shown the highest level of academic and performance achievement.
At Meadowmount Haruno studies with Sally Thomas.
The following students received scholarships from sponsoring organizations and the Meadowmount School of Music. We are grateful to these organizations and individuals who support the arts.
FROM THE TOP
Hannah Moses
ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA,
ROBERT W. WOODRUFF ARTS CENTER
Monica Caldwell
Myrtil Mitanga
Wickliff Simmons
Dana Wilson
Denielle Wilson
TEXAS COMMISSION OF THE ARTS
Christian Kay
CHATTANOOGA MUSIC CLUB
Emily Oing
KIRKWOOD ORCHESTRA PARENTS ASSOCIATION
Samantha Lord
OREGON AMERICAN STRING TEACHERS ASSOCIATION
Byron Fulop Laing
UNIVERSITY OF DELEWARE
Mengjiao LI
GRAND RAPIDS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION Lalia Mangione
COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF GREENVILLE
Paul Aguilar
THE HAPPY CAMPER FOUNDATION
Lindsey Suillivan
DEKALB MUSIC BOOSTERS, IL
Genevieve Smelser
SYCAMORE MUSIC BOOSTERS
Owen Ruff
SCHOOL OF THE ARTS FOUNDATION
Ericsson Hatfield
Donations
Each year the number of students requesting financial assistance exceeds our ability to meet the demand. Unfortunately this causes truly qualified and gifted students to be unable to attend to further their musical development at Meadowmount. Please consider making a contribution to our scholarship fund. Donations are fully tax deductible as Meadowmount is a 501(C)3 non-profit organization.
Sponsor a Student
There are many merit worthy students in need of sponsorship to attend Meadowmount and receive the training and guidance they need for their musical careers. To become a sponsor contact our office at (518) 962-2400. You can also contact us by email (admissions@meadowmount.com) or letter stating your desire to sponsor a student. Sponsorship covers full tuition for a student in the amount of $3,300 to $6,200. We will match you to a student showing a high level of merit and need. At the end of the summer we will send a Sponsorship Packet to you including the student’s name, name and biography, as well as programs and recording of his/her concert performances during the summer.
Sponsor a Work Scholarship Recipient
Several students are awarded work scholarships to help finance their expenses while at Meadowmount. Work Scholarships are awarded on the basis of merit to students who attend full time. We have opportunities in food service, recording, video, stage, mail, office work, snack bar, concert staffing, programs and more. Each work scholarship is valued at $700. Please contact us at (518) 962-2400 for more information about sponsoring a worker.
Fellowships
The Meadowmount School of Music has created Fellowships to honor the memories of Founder, Ivan Galamian, his wife Judith Galamian and founding faculty members Josef Gingold, Leonard Rose and Gregor Piatigorsky. A new endowed fellowship has been created in the memory of Stephen Kates entitled "The Stephen Kates Memorial Fellowship". Please visit the Distinguished Meadowmount Alumni page for more information.