Kenan Music Scholars Program

The Music Department of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill offers its innovative Kenan Music Scholars Program, supported by a generous donation from the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust. Its first four students entered UNC in Fall 2007.

Click here for information on our 2008 Kenan Music Scholars.

Kenan Music Scholars receive a full scholarship for four years covering tuition, student fees, room and board, and other expenses (currently $13,036 for in-state students); plus additional support for summer research and similar activities. They also benefit from a coherent program of special activities uniting work on the concert platform and in the classroom with faculty in the Music Department and distinguished visiting artists.

Scholars are selected on the basis of an established record of excellence in practice of music (performance, composition, etc.), significant academic strengths, and a strong commitment to majoring in Music at UNC-CH. There will usually be four Scholars per entering class, with sixteen in the department in any given year.

Interested students (in-state and out-of-state) should ensure that their application to the University is submitted by January 15, 2009 (for further details, visit Undergraduate Admissions) and must be admitted to the University in the normal way. Applicants should also visit the rest of the Music Department website and follow the links for prospective undergraduate students to submit a scholarship audition request by January 1, 2009. Following the general auditions held in January and February, candidates identified for the Program will be invited back for a final round of auditions in early March, 2009. All music scholarship applicants will automatically be considered for the Program.

Further information can be obtained from Jeffrey Fuchs (jfuchs@email.unc.edu). This is an exciting new development marking a renaissance in the arts and Music at Carolina, and we hope that as many qualified students as possible will be encouraged to apply.

Our Kenan Music Scholars

	Cynthia Burton, violinist, is from Banner Elk, NC and graduated from Wautauga High School. While in high school, she studied violin with Nancy Bargerstock and played in the orchestra at Appalachian State University. She also attended North Carolina Governor’s School West in 2005 and traveled to Austria and the Czech Republic on a Study Abroad program. Cynthia is a National Merit Finalist and a member of the National Honors Society. She is an active leader and volunteer in area youth and church activities.
	Michael Fatum attends New Trier High School in Winnetka, Ill. He performs with the Midwest Young Artists (MYA) Jazz Combos and has toured China, Spain, Portugal and South Korea with various MYA music groups. He attended the Eastman School of Music Summer Jazz Camp and has taken master classes at Northwestern University. He has won outstanding jazz musician, trumpet and wind section awards. He is an honor roll student and writes for his national award-winning high school newspaper.
	Daniel Hammond, horn player, is from Raleigh, NC, where he graduated from Wakefield High School and was selected as outstanding senior, served as Drum Major, Band President, and Webmaster. In 2006, he was selected to be concerto soloist with the Triangle Youth Philharmonic and principal horn with the Allstate Honor Band. He attended the Florida State Honors Program for Winds and was a winner in the Glaxo Smith Kline Competition as a sophomore. Daniel’s interests also extend to science and technology; he has won a Xerox Award for Innovation and another in Environmental Science. He is also active in church activities.
	Jessica Kunttu, bassoonist, is from Cary, NC, but spent her last two years of high school at the North Carolina School of the Arts. She attended the North Carolina Governor’s School West, played in the Triangle Youth Philharmonic, and was selected for the North Carolina Allstate Honors Orchestra.  In addition, she has served as peer tutor and residence hall peer leader at NCSA. She has a lively interest in history and the sciences, and plans to double-major in Music and Physics.
	Caroline Mason attends Portsmouth Abbey School in Portsmouth, R.I., on an academic scholarship. The soprano began her study in classical voice at the age of 12. She is a member of the Rhode Island Allstate Chorus, the Junior Providence Singers and has won awards in music, public speaking, English and poetry recitation. She has had leading roles in her school’s musical productions. In 2004, she received a full scholarship to study at the Washington National Opera Program for Young Singers. She also attended the N.C. Governor’s School East in 2006.
	Aaron Robinson attends Wakefield High School in Wake Forest, where he won the Outstanding Senior Award and is on the honor roll. He is a member of the Triangle Youth Philharmonic in Raleigh, the N.C. Allstate Honors Orchestra and Band, the Tri-M Music Honors Society and the National Honor Society. He is brass captain of his high school marching band. He attended the N.C. Governor’s School West in 2006 and has won many competitions as a tuba player, pianist and singer.
	Lauren Schultes, soprano, is from Grosse Pointe, Michigan where she graduated from high school with high honors.  She has studied musicianship in the University of Michigan Youth Program, and was a winner in their regional voice competition, representing Michigan at finals in San Francisco during May 2007. She also traveled to the University of Nebraska representing Michigan at the 2007 International Thespian Festival. In addition, she has received awards for her achievements in French, Dance, and Distributive Education. Lauren has also been active in community service, tutoring middle-school students and singing for senior citizens.
	Qiudi Zhang attends the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem. She received a full scholarship to the 2007 Kennedy Center National Symphony Orchestra’s Summer Music Institute. The institute accepts only one student from each state by competitive audition. She also won the Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Symphony Competition and the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artists Award where she was profiled on “From the Top,” a weekly Houston radio series that showcases the nation’s most exceptional pre-college classical musicians. She has also won awards in French and art.