2023 Scholarship
Winners
The Kansas City Alumnae Chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota held their annual Scholarship Auditions on Saturday, February 25, at Asbury United Methodist Church in Prairie Village, Kansas. Kansas City Music Foundation provided the funding for the scholarship awards.
Fifteen contestants participated in the event, and each was critiqued by three exceptional judges: Trilla Ray-Carter, Artistic Director, Kansas City Baroque Consortium; Lucy Tan, Director of Keyboard Studies, Washburn University; and Vanessa Thomas, Soprano/Mezzo Soprano.
The winners of the 2023 scholarships are:
Patricia Eccles
Scholarship Committee
Chair, 2023
| Winner | School | Instrument | Scholarship |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ilkhom Mukhiddinov | Park University | Violin | Scholarship provided by the George W. and Ada Heath Ultch Memorial Fund – Commerce Bank, Trustee |
| Colin Levins | UMKC | Piano | Dixie Lou O'Connor Morris Memorial Scholarship |
| Xiaoyu Zhang | UMKC | Piano | Thomas F. Morris Memorial Scholarship |
| Gwendolyn DeLaney | UMKC | Voice | Leona Schaefer Memorial Scholarship |
| Laura Herrera | UMKC | Violin | Millie Mehnert Memorial Scholarship |
| Zixuan Deng | UMKC | Piano | Kansas City Alumnae Scholarship |
From the Judges:
“The KC SAI Chapter offers such an important service in support of young talent in the greater Kansas City region. The competitors are already displaying a very high level of preparation and performance, demonstrating the depth of instruction being offered in our community. KC SAI is playing a vital role in the lives of these young musicians and in the continued growth of classical music training in the greater Midwest.” – Trilla Ray-Carter
“Kansas City SAI is a wonderful organization that deeply cares about the educational future of young artists. The level of playing is so impressive! I hope many more aspiring young musicians will take advantage of this incredible opportunity to further their education and musical careers.” – Lucy Tan
“What an encouraging experience it is to be able to further your training and develop your musical craft by receiving a KC SAI scholarship as a young performer. This is exactly the kind of support and nurturing that a budding young artist needs to help to build a musical career. Congratulations to all who participated this year!” – Vanessa Thomas
Judges Trilla Ray-Carter, Lucy Tan, and Vanessa Thomas.
From the Contestants:
“I really enjoyed the beautiful performance space. The process was very easy and stress-free for an audition experience.” – Taryn
“Little nervous when warming up but once I started, I felt more confident. The piano was fantastic.” – Zixuan
“The acoustics were lovely. Great warm up space. Easy check-in.” – Gwendolyn
“Always nice to play in this hall – sounds awesome! Also, it’s always great to take part in competitions.” – Ilhom
From the Volunteers:
“I continue to be amazed at the high level of musicianship demonstrated by the students who audition. Thank you to the Kansas City Music Foundation for supporting this very important effort to assist student musicians to continue their education.” – Karen Puckett, President, Kansas City Alumnae Chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota
“I remember auditioning when I first came to Kansas City. I really enjoy hearing all the wonderful young musicians.” – Elaine
“Getting to hear so many excellent young musicians and know that we are helping them financially with their musical education is the reason I volunteer every year at the Sigma Alpha Iota Scholarship Auditions.” – Jane
“I love the camaraderie.” – Holly