Friday, April 24, 2009

Grand Teton Music Festival awards scholarship

From a Grand Teton Music Festival press release:

In an award ceremony last night, the Grand Teton Music Festival granted a $2,000 scholarship to high school senior Emily Stewart to support her continued musical studies at the college level.

Festival Executive Director Tracy Jacobson personally presented the award to Emily at the annual scholarship night at Jackson Hole High School. “It has been thrilling to watch Emily blossom into a fine young musician,” said Tracy. She further noted, “It was inspiring to see the tremendous generosity of our community towards these talented 2009 graduates.”

Emily is a violinist, flutist, and pianist, and plans to attend the Boyer College of Music and Dance at Temple University in Philadelphia in the fall, majoring in Music Theory and Performance.

Emily Stewart became involved in the education and outreach programs of the Grand Teton Music Festival as a middle school student attending StringFest in the eighth grade, and worked several summers as an employee of the Festival. As a high school violinist, she was chosen to participate in the Festival’s Orchestra Mentorship Program and has received several coachings with long-time Festival violinist Robert Davidovici over the last several years.

“Emily has been a member of the GTMF family for many years, and it’s truly rewarding for us to be able to help her continue her musical studies,” said Liz Kintz, Director of Artistic Planning and coordinator of the Festival’s education programs.

The Grand Teton Music Festival pprograms serve more than 12,000 young students, musicians, and adults each year. The Festival's free community and family concerts allow children and parents to share the joy of classical music together. Aspiring young musicians get ready for their first public performances through Festival-provided private instrumental instruction and programs where students perform in Walk Festival Hall – the very same stage performed on by today's top artists. Additional programs help these same kids prepare for the future with music master classes, orchestra mentoring, and college scholarships. Programs designed just for adults provide unique access to classical music and encourage life-long learning through lively pre-concert talks, open rehearsals, and interactive concert formats.

For more information about the Festival’s education and outreach programming, contact Liz Kintz at 307-732-9959.