BIG ARTS awards classical music scholarships
On April 2, BIG ARTS hosted 12 young aspiring classical musicians on the Christensen Performance Hall stage for the BIG ARTS Classical Music Scholarship auditions. The program is meant to assist highly proficient and talented undergraduate students who plan to continue their education and training in the field of classical music. The scholarship may be awarded to up to three students annually in the amounts of $15,000, $10,000 and $5,000. This year’s recipients are pianist Arturo Fernandez, pianist Christopher Tavernier and harpist Isabelle Scott.
“It’s such a joy to have these incredibly talented young musicians on the BIG ARTS stage,” Executive Director Lee Ellen Harder said. “Supporting arts in the community is at the core of the BIG ARTS mission, and I can’t think of a more rewarding way to give back than by helping young aspiring musicians pursue their dreams.”
First prize winner Fernandez is seeking a degree in piano performance from Florida Gulf Coast University. He started playing piano when he was 4 years old in his home country of Peru. Fernandez performed his first solo concert at 12 and moved to the United States in 2019 to attend school. He won first prize in the Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra’s Jillian Prescott Concerto Competition and was the state winner of the senior MTNA solo piano competition. Fernandez plans to continue his education by attending graduate school and pursuing a doctorate in piano performance.
Second place was awarded to Tavernier, who is seeking a degree in piano performance from Florida State University. He made his orchestral debut with the Tar River Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of 13, performing Tchaikovsky’s “Piano Concerto No. 1.” Since then, Tavernier has won numerous competitions throughout the Appalachian region, including the Hendersonville, Asheville, Augusta and Charlotte Symphony concerto competitions. He is half of the chamber music duo “88 Keys and a Reed,” a joint project with clarinetist Matthew Hannah to explore the repertoire for piano and clarinet.
Third place winner Scott is seeking a degree in harp performance from the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music. As a harpist, she has especially enjoyed playing in orchestras throughout her high school and college career. Among them are the Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestra, Jacksonville University Orchestra, Converse Symphony Orchestra and, more recently, Frost School of Music Orchestras. Scott’s goal is to become an orchestral harpist, soloist and educator.
The BIG ARTS Classical Music Scholarship is offered annually in the spring.
For more information, visit www.BIGARTS.org.