From TOLEDO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The Toledo Symphony Orchestra is pleased to announce an exciting new scholarship opportunity for Bowling Green State University students. Each year, two Toledo Symphony Composition Scholarships will be awarded to incoming students in the Master of Music in Composition degree program at BGSU.
To be considered for this award, composition applicants must include a previously written work for orchestra and/or a large instrumental ensemble in their application portfolio. A jury of composition faculty members reviews the candidates’ work based on an evaluation of their current abilities as well as the prospect of their continuing development as a composer of orchestral music. Scholarship recipients are awarded $10,000 for demonstrating such musical excellence in their program.
During the second year of their degree, each scholarship recipient is guaranteed a spot in the annual Toledo Symphony BGSU Student Composition Reading Session. The annual TSO Readings at BGSU are a unique opportunity for students to hear their work read by a professional orchestra along with gaining knowledge and insight from guest composers.
Once the scholarship recipients are chosen, the Toledo Symphony Orchestra has the ability to request exclusive performance rights for the newly composed works.
Zak Vassar, President & CEO of the Toledo Symphony, considers the scholarship program an investment in the future of classical music and the Toledo community. “BGSU’s College of Musical Arts has cultivated many wonderful composers, and writing new music has become a major point of differentiation for the College. I am proud to further the relationship between our organizations by helping BGSU to attract the highest tier of up-and-coming composers. This brings great vitality, experimentation, and creativity to our region, and it represents a clear investment in the future of our art form.”
Bill Mathis, Dean of the College of Musical Arts at Bowling Green State University states, “The College of Musical Arts’ relationship with the Toledo Symphony Orchestra has always been strong. The TSO Composition Scholarship is perhaps the best example of our current efforts to strengthen and formalize our collaborations into the future. We are extremely grateful for the vision and dedication to music education by the Symphony Board of Directors through the establishment of this scholarship.”
This scholarship is made possible through annually-supported funds. Donors who support this scholarship will be recognized for their commitment to excellence at Bowling Green State University through various communication platforms.
This year, the annual Toledo Symphony Orchestra Composer’s Reading Session will be held on November 7th in Kobacker Hall, located in the Moore Musical Arts Center. This event is free and open to the public. For more information please contact Felecia Kanney, Toledo Symphony Director of Marketing at fkanney@toledosymphony.com, or Christopher Dietz, Associate Professor of Composition at Bowling Green State University at cjdietz@bgsu.com.
