In its fourth 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 partnership between Sarasota Music Club and Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota.
The 10th grade students selected for Suncoast Music Scholarship awards of $1,000 each are: Tyler Esposito, piano, Manatee School for the Arts; and Marco Jimenez, piano, home school. The 11th grade students selected to receive $2,000 scholarship awards are: Jack Gallahan, cello, Pine View High School; and Ethan Horn, alto sax, Lakewood Ranch High School.
The four 12th grade students selected to receive scholarships are: 1st place, $5,000 – Andrea Guaita, violin, home school; 2nd place, $4,000 – Luca Stine, trumpet, home school and dual enrolled in State College of Florida; 3rd place, $3,000 – Joshua Hellberg, Bb clarinet, Braden River High School; and 4th place, $2,000 –Nadia Brooks, cello, Manatee School for the Arts.
Andrea Guaita and Luca Stine also received Suncoast Music Scholarships in 2017 and 2018 respectively. Guaita will be attending Cedarville University to study violin performance; Stine is still considering offers from multiple institutions, including Eastman School of Music; Hellberg will study music education and cardiology at Florida Gulf Coast University; and Brooks will study cello performance at the University of Miami. The 12th grade winners performed at the Suncoast Music Scholarships Awards Luncheon, held on April 27 at Michael’s On East in Sarasota.
The 22 students who submitted scholarship applications came from eight schools, plus home school and dual enrolled in State College of Florida. In the competition, 10 music disciplines were represented. Auditions were held on April 13 at the Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center.
Distinguished judges for this year’s competition were: 12th grade – Dr. Robyn Bell, Tom Purviance and Gayle Williams; 10th and 11th grade – Joy McIntyre and Rich Ridenour.
Suncoast Music Scholarship committee is co-chaired by Lee Dougherty Ross and Susan Hicks. Also serving on the committee are John Alan Fischer, Managing Director of Artist Series Concerts, and Mary Webb, President of Sarasota Music Club, serving as advisor.
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 scores of students and educators every year. For more information visit www.ArtistSeriesConcerts.org or call Lee Dougherty Ross, at 941.388.1188.
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.