2020 SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
Genevieve Welch is a rising junior at Wellesley College, majoring in music and minoring in psychology. She is a voice student and member of the Wellesley College Choir and Chamber Singers. She is additionally a Choral Scholar at Wellesley, studying musical leadership, choral literature, music theory, and conducting. This winter, she also joined Cappella Clausura’s production of Hildegard’s Ordo Virtutum.
Originally from Portland, Maine, Genevieve has sung in choirs since age eight, also studying voice and piano. In 2015, she was accepted into the Portland Conservatory of Music’s Kargar College Prep Program. There she studied music history, theory, and voice. Past honors and awards include singing in her state’s All-State Choir for four years, joining the All-Eastern Choir in 2017, placing twice in Maine’s National Association of Teachers of Singing competition, and receiving the ACDA Eastern Region Keggereis Scholarship. Genevieve plans to pursue a career in choral conducting.
Damali Willingham (they/them) is a sixth-semester bassoon player at the Berklee College of Music, studying composition and conducting. As a composer, Catherine had her first performance in 2014, conducting her original piece Infinite Hope with the Chamblee High School Wind Ensemble. In 2017, Willingham’s piece ‘A Moment In Time’ was premiered at Northwestern University by the Emory Youth Symphony Orchestra. A year later, that same piece was performed at an Atlanta Symphony Orchestra reading session through the University of Georgia.
Since arriving at Berklee, Catherine has served as a student conductor for the Musical Theater Orchestra and the Berklee Symphonic Winds; she currently holds the position of Music Director for the Berklee Motion Picture Orchestra. Her goal is to bring her cultural perspectives to her compositions and push the boundaries of classical contemporary music. She plans to pursue postgraduate study in Europe, and one day found her own contemporary jazz orchestra.
Sydney Pepper is from Voluntown, Connecticut and went to Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts to pursue a Vocal Performance degree. Her first experience as an administrator was with the Portland Bach Experience, where she began as an intern and worked her way to Festival Manager. In her senior year, she served as the Marketing and Box Office Coordinator for Music Worcester, Inc. and as the President of the Clark University Choirs in her senior year; under her supervision, the choirs performed a 21 st century revival of lost composer Gena Branscombe’s Pilgrims of Destiny.
Sydney currently attends the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music pursuing a dual MA/MBA in Arts Administration. Her experience in Cincinnati spans from CCM Preparatory and Community Engagement to Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. She was scheduled to serve as Development Intern for the Opera Theatre of St. Louis before the COVID- 19 outbreak.
2020 SCHOLARSHIP HONORABLE MENTION
Michaela Gleason has been recognized for her diverse abilities as a soloist, ensemble member, and conductor. She holds a BM in Vocal Performance from the Chicago College of Performing Arts, and is an alumna of several notable training programs including the Aspen Music Festival and the Conducting Institute at Oxford. Michaela has performed considerable concert work, operatic roles and extensive art chamber music repertoire.
Michaela has appeared with professional ensembles including the Grant Park Symphony Chorus and the American Symphony Orchestra’s Festival Chorale. Michaela served as the Alto Artist in Residence at Rockefeller Chapel at The University of Chicago for two years, where she was a regularly-featured soloist.
She is now pursuing master’s degrees in both Conducting and Vocal Arts at Bard College-Conservatory of Music, training with James Bagwell and Stephanie Blythe. She is currently the assistant conductor of the Bard Symphonic Chorus, and co-conductor of the Bard Opera Workshop.