BMI Foundation Announces over $30,000 in Awards to High School Music Students Across the United States
L-R top: Curtis Mayfield Scholarship awardees Zaria Doss and Jamond Brown; Chris Trousdale Dream Awards winners Jose Ruiz-Zepeda, Harrison TC Le, and Sebastian Leoni.
L-R bottom: Chris Trousdale Dream Awards winners Autumn Cedillo, Angelina Mack, Myles Williamson, Mario Mallard, and Armand Xavier Rufen-Blanchette.
New York, NY - September 26th, 2023 – BMI Foundation, Inc. has announced the winners of the Curtis Mayfield Scholarships and the Chris Trousdale Dream Awards. Awards for both programs, which include monetary gifts exceeding $30,000, are given to high school students pursuing a career in music.
The Curtis Mayfield Scholarship honors Chicago-born songwriter, musician, and producer Curtis Mayfield, whose iconic songs became cornerstones of the Civil Rights Movement. In partnership with the Curtis Mayfield Foundation, BMI Foundation grants two $3,000 scholarships annually to an exemplary graduating senior at Chicago High School for the Arts (ChiArts) and Dekalb School of the Arts in Atlanta, both public fine and performing arts high schools for artistically gifted youth. This year’s Mayfield winners are Zaria Doss of DeKalb School of the Arts and Jamond Brown of ChiArts. Zaria will be attending the University of Georgia and majoring in music education, while Jamond will be pursuing music at the University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh.
The Chris Trousdale Dream Awards honor the memory of performer and composer Chris Trousdale. A member of The Broadway Kids and the boy band Dream Street, Trousdale began his professional career at the age of eight, when he toured with Les Misérables alongside Ashley Tisdale. He went on to star in numerous Broadway shows and to have his own prolific solo career. The Chris Trousdale Dream Awards commemorate Trousdale’s time in New York, California, and his home state of Michigan with $5,000 prizes for students of performing arts schools in each state; and $2,000 awards to an additional five students nationwide based on essays about their experience with music.
This year’s Chris Trousdale Dream Awards were given to Myles Williamson of Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, Mario Mallard of Detroit School of Arts, and Armand Xavier Rufen-Blanchette of Repertory Company High School for Theatre Arts; essay awards were given to Autumn Cedillo, Harrison TC Le, Sebastian Leoni, Angelina Mack, and Jose Ruiz-Zepeda. The Chris Trousdale Dream Awards are generously underwritten by Craig Robinson, Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer of NBC Universal, and member of the Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) Board of Directors.
About the BMI Foundation
The BMI Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1985 to encourage the creation, performance, and study of American music. The Foundation’s programs include competitive scholarships for songwriters and composers, operating grants for nonprofit arts presenters, and support for innovative music education initiatives in schools and communities across the country. For more information about the work of the Foundation, please visit our website at www.bmifoundation.org. For exclusive news and content, follow @bmifoundation on Instagram, and like BMI Foundation on Facebook.
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BMI Foundation | Susan Bywaters | 212-220-3175 | info@bmifoundation.org
