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 program.
The program aims to support young people who are studying, or plan to further their studies in the performing arts (music, theatre, dance), and to foster the development of performing arts talent in our community. New this year, the program opened applications for technical skills studies (ie stage management, lighting or sound design).
HfA offered both a Junior (16 & under) & Senior (17 & older) Performing Arts Scholarship. Since its inception in 1997, 81 local youth have received financial support from Huntsville Festival of the Arts. This year a total of $6,000 was divided among senior and junior scholarship recipients to support their artistic pursuits. Applicants were evaluated by a committee with the approval from the Huntsville Festival of the Arts through an audition and interview on May 24th at 4pm at Trinity United Church.
This year’s Senior scholarship recipients are
- Evin Park (saxophone) who will use his funds towards his post-secondary tuition.
- Gwynne Daynard (violin/voice) who will be using the funds towards her post-secondary tuition at Humber College where she will pursue a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Jazz Performance. Gwynne Daynard was a 2022 HFA Junior Scholarship recipient.
- Simon Johnson (piano/violin) who will be using th support towards his continued musical training
- Silas Knappett (drums) who will use the funds to cover private instruction with his instructor, Richard Jackson.
The Junior Scholarship recipients are
- Patricia Mann (piano) who will put her funds towards her continued instruction with Sarah Spring.
- Rachel White (voice) a self-taught talent who will use her funds to deepen her formal training.
- Sam Beattie (voice) who will be furthering her musical development with Hub Productions
In addition to its Performing Arts Scholarships, HfA is proud to support visual arts studies through the Kareen Burns HFA scholarship administered through Huntsville High School. Historically the award has gone to one commendable student at HHS, this year however, the board received an unprecedented number of strong applications, and HFA has extended the award to two extremely deserving young artists.
The 2023 awards go to Roxanna Welsh studying visual art at the University of Guelph and Chloe Sparling studying at The Ontario College of Art and Design. This award is in honour of Kareen Burns who was a past HfA Board member and valued member of the Huntsville Community. Her spirit of creativity, imagination and ingenuity continues to make a positive impact on our community.
“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 honoured to assist them as they develop their skills even further”, noted Watson.
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.