When schools return this September, eight local students will be better prepared to pursue their artistic passions thanks to the support of Huntsville Festival of the Arts through their annual scholarship programs.
The program aims to support young people who are studying, or plan to further their studies in the performing arts (music, theatre, dance), or technical skills studies (ie stage management, lighting or sound design), and to foster the development of performing arts talent in our community.
HfA offers both a Junior (16 & under) & Senior (17 & older) Performing Arts Scholarship. Since 1997 a total of $87,850 has been awarded to 74 Senior candidates, $18,900 to 60 junior/intermediate candidates over the same period (including this year’s recipients).
“We believe that it is our responsibility to support and reinvest in the community through expanded outreach, educational programming and the scholarship programs”, indicated Dan Watson, Executive Director of Huntsville Festival of the Arts. “We have incredibly talented young people in this region and we are honored to assist them as they develop their skills even further”, noted Watson.
This year’s applicants were evaluated by a committee with the approval from the Huntsville Festival of the Arts through an audition and interview on March 23rd at the Algonquin Theatre.
This year’s HFA Junior Scholarship recipients are
- Adelyn McColl (music). Adelyn will use her funds to continue taking piano lessons with local pianist, Kristine Knight.
- Tegan Keevil-Dechene (music). Tegan will use her funds to repair her violin that was passed down to her by her late grandfather.
- Charlotte Kitchen (music) Charlotte will use her funds to take violin lessons at the Huntsville Suzuki School.
- Ava Fisher (dance) Ava will use her funds to pay for competition fees at JJ Dance Studio.
- Ryan Mackenzie-Gilchrist (music) Ryan will use her funds to continue her interest in composing by taking lessons and purchasing the proper software.
- Ellah Sepulveda (dance) Ellah will use her funds to take dance lessons at JJ Dance Studio.
This year’s Senior scholarship recipients are
- Darian Adams (dance) Darian will use her funds to attend Dance Canadian’s Solo Finals
- San’aa Jones (music) San’aa will use her funds toward attending Queens University and purchasing a bass clarinet.
In addition to these scholarships, HfA will also award its annual Kareen Burns Visual Arts Scholarship to Willow Dixon at the upcoming Huntsville High School graduation on June 25th. The Kareen Burns award is to recognize a graduate who will be continuing with art education and has demonstrated not only artistic talent and skill, but humanity in their approach to life. Willow will be continuing studies at the Haliburton School for the Arts this fall.
For more information about the scholarship program or the full line-up of performances this season, please visit www.huntsvillefestival.ca
Huntsville Festival of the Arts is a registered charitable, not-for-profit organization with a goal to further develop the community’s appreciation of the arts by providing an eclectic mix of performances and exhibitions presented in a variety of venues throughout the area and involving performers of local, national, and international stature.
From the Huntsville Festival of the Arts
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