Young Musicians Compete
Bay Music Foundation holds annual scholarship competition
January 2, 2003
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By: Stephen Kent
Andy Hickner competes in Music Theater
Adam Rongo competes in instrumental
On January 18 the
Bay Music Foundation
will hold its annual scholarship competition at First Presbyterian Church in Bay City. According to Foundation Historian Sue Flemer, the annual competition has been held for over forty years. The Bay Music Foundation is one of the oldest scholarship organizations operating in the community.
The foundation is dedicated to promoting advanced music education and recognizing the many talented young musicians in our community. Each January between 30and 50 young musicians and performers compete for scholarships awarded by the foundation.
Recent winners have applied their scholarship awards to summer study and music camps such as Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, Interlochen Arts Academy, Herter Music Camp,the University of Michigan, and Central Michigan University. Others have used the awards for advanced private lessons.
Scholarship compeitions are held in four categories: Piano, Instrumental, Vocal, and Music Theater.
Each category is judged in three divisions:
Intermediate (grades 7-8),
Senior (grades 9-12)
and Advanced for those returning competitors who won first place in the Senior division.
Two scholarship awards are given for each division and category.
According to Sharon Schisler, competition chair, the number of competitors varies from year to year. This year is on the high side with 43 competitors. Competitions are judged by professional music teachers recruited from outside of the local area.
The annual competition is held each year on the third Saturday of January. The following day a
"Thank You Recital"
is held where winners from the previous year return to perform. This year's recital will begin at 2:00 P.M. on Sunday January 19 at First Presbyterian Church. The recital is open to the public and there is no admission charge. Awards from the Saturday competition are announced and presented at the end of the recital.
The
Bay Music Foundation
is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The foundation is managed by a voluntary board of directors with the help of other volunteers who assist with the competition.
Scholarships and expenses are funded by contributions from the community. The foundation also benefits from an endowment fund which is administered by the Bay Area Community Foundation.
For more information you can send e-mail to membership chairman Stephen Kent at
support@mmcctech.com.
Stephen Kent
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Steve Kent and his family have lived in Bay City for 40 years. He is VP of Technical Services at MMCC which produces MyBayCity.Com. Kent is active in many Bay City civic organizations.
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