In the third annual competition, Suncoast Music Scholarships awarded $20,000 to eight talented young musicians from Sarasota and Manatee counties to be used for music education expenses. The scholarship program is funded and organized through a Sarasota Music Club and Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota partnership.
The 10th grade students selected for Suncoast Music Scholarship awards of $1,000 each are: Lindsay McKenna, cello, Sarasota High School; and Abigail Toth, violin, Pine View High School. The 11th grade students selected to receive $2,000 scholarship awards are: Giordano Scarano, violin, Braden River High School; and Luca Stine, trumpet, home schooled and dual enrolled in State College of Florida.
The four 12th grade students selected to receive scholarships are: 1st place, $5,000 – Katherine “KC” Herbert, voice, Booker High School; 2nd place, $4,000 – James Boorman, piano, Booker High School; 3rd place, $3,000 – Michael Miller, clarinet, Lakewood Ranch High School; and 4th place, $2,000 –Dominique Cecchetti, voice, Manatee School for the Arts. Katherine Herbert and Michael Miller also received Suncoast Music Scholarships in 2017. Herbert will be attending The Juilliard School; Boorman plans to study piano performance and compostion at State College of Florida; Miller will attend Eastman School of Music; and Cecchetti will study vocal arts at Stetson University. The 12th grade winners performed at the Suncoast Music Scholarships Awards Luncheon, held at Michael’s On East in Sarasota.
The 40 students who submitted applications came from 11 schools, plus home schooled and dual enrolled in State College of Florida. In the competition, 11 music disciplines were represented. Auditions were held on April 28 at the Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center. Distinguished judges for this year’s competition were: 12th grade – Dr. Robyn Bell, Katherine Oarr and Rich Ridenour; 10th and 11th grade –Jesse Martins and Gayle Williams.
Both organizations in the partnership have long histories of supporting music education and performance through scholarship programs. Sarasota Music Club has been promoting music education and performance since 1930. An annual competition held by Artist Series Concerts that rotates between voice, piano and string instruments, previously a statewide competition, was expanded to a national level in 2016. Over the past decade, that competition has awarded over $300,000 to 88 gifted musicians.
The partnering organizations also offer music performance programs. Sarasota Music Club offers performances on the third Friday from October through March. Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota presents world-class musical experiences in a diverse range of genres, including classical, cabaret, pop, Broadway, orchestral and opera, from September through May.
The partnership committee was co-chaired by Lee Dougherty Ross and Susan Hicks. Also serving on the committee was John Alan Fischer, Managing Director of Artist Series Concerts, and serving as advisor was Mary Webb, President of Sarasota Music Club. For more information, call Lee Dougherty Ross, 941.388.1188.
Artist Series Concerts
Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota was formed in 1996 as Artist Series of Sarasota. The non-profit organization presents world-class musical experiences in a diverse range of genres, including classical, cabaret, pop, Broadway, orchestral and opera. A central focus of Artist Series Concerts’ mission is to spark a lifelong love of the musical arts by exposing young people to interactive music experiences. It accomplishes this through its performance-based outreach programs in area schools, creating unique learning opportunities for thousands of students and educators every year. In addition, Artist Series Concerts’ preeminent Sarasota National Music Scholarship Awards grants more than $20,000 annually to gifted, young musicians from around the country. Past winners have gone on to study at leading music conservatories and pursued successful music careers. For more information, visit www.artistseriesconcerts.org or call 941-306-1200.
Sarasota Music Club
The Sarasota Music Club was founded in 1930 to promote music appreciation, study and performance. It offers free performances on the third Friday of the month, October through March. Sarasota Music Club is a member of the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County and is affiliated with the Florida Federation of Music Clubs and the National Federation of Music Clubs. For more information, visit www.sarasotamusicclub.org or call Susan Hicks, Communications Director, at 941.925.3602.