Jonathan Demessie  2012 Whittenberg Scholarship Winner

Jonathan Demessie
2012 Whittenberg Scholarship Winner

Applications now due by April 10, 2015

LOUISVILLE, KY (April 1, 2015) – The William Tolbert Whittenberg Scholarship for Performing Arts Excellence awards young people the financial means to pursue advanced study in the performing arts. Annually, the scholarship awards up to $5,000 to performers between the ages of 16 to 20 for expenses such as tuition, apprenticeship with a coach or company, seminars, workshops, summer programs or advanced study.

2015 marks the 20th anniversary of the scholarship whose first recipient was ballet dancer Sarah Comstock. Sarah, like others, used the scholarship for advanced training in her field and has gone on to have a successful career in the performing Arts.

“The list of performers empowered to pursue performing Arts careers thanks to the Whittenberg family is astounding,” said Christen Boone, Fund for the Arts President & CEO. “The influence of this scholarship on the Arts community, as a whole, can be felt coast to coast.  Louisville has become a place where performers are grown and nurtured to success.”

Applicants range in age from sophomore in high School to sophomore in college. Two letters of recommendation, an essay outlining career goals, scholarship need and intended use of funds and a completed application form are required from all applicants. Those selected to move on to the next round will audition live for the selection committee in May.

2014 winners:  Alexis Gil is pursuing a vocal performance at Baldwin Wallace University. And Jonathan Yi is studying at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music in violin performance.

Some notable past scholarship winners include: Nicole Scherzinger, Mary Hollis Hundley, Eric Stephenson, Aqura Lacey, and Celia Zhang.

For more information on the Whittenberg Scholarship visit:

www.fundforthearts.com/the-whittenberg-scholarship

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