The Sunriver Music Festival’s successful Young Artist Scholarship program has been awarding music scholarships to deserving young musicians for fifteen years. To date, the Young Artist Scholarship program has awarded over $238,500 to 103 Central Oregon music students in middle school, high school college with last year¹s total scholarships topping $28,000.
From June 3-5, twenty-three classical music students from Deschutes, Jefferson Crook counties will compete for music scholarships ranging from $100-$3,500 from the Sunriver Music Festival’s Young Artist Scholarship program.
This year’s 16th annual Young Artist Scholarship Concert will be held on Sunday, June 12 at the Holy Trinity Church in Sunriver at 5pm. This concert is free to the public with a suggested $10 donation.
The Young Artist Scholarship program began in 1996 with a h ful of talented music students a generous grant from the Sunriver Women’s Club.
Today, the Women’s Club continues to support the program in addition to a growing number of individual contributors. The majority of the individual contributions occur at the Sunriver Music Festival’s annual fundraiser, Festival Faire (scheduled for Sunday, August 7 at the Sunriver Resort Great Hall).
“A number of our scholarship recipients have been accepted to some of the top college music programs in the U.S. they apply their scholarships directly toward tuition expenses,” explains Jodie Bischof, the Young Artist Scholarship program chair. “We currently have students in our program that are attending Eastman School of Music, New Engl Conservatory, Clevel Institute of Music, Northwestern University, University of Michigan University of Oregon.”
This August three of the Young Artist Scholarship alumni will return to Central Oregon to perform with the world-class Sunriver Music Festival Orchestra. Mezzo-soprano Sarah Mattox soprano Courtney Huffman will be the featured soloists in the Friday, August 12 Night at the Opera concert.
The Sunriver Music Festival’s two week summer festival runs from August 7-17. Concerts will be at the historic Sunriver Resort Great Hall, Bend High School the Tower Theatre. Tickets are currently on sale for the summer concerts. www.sunrivermusic.org