BMI Foundation Awards over $35,000 in Scholarships to High School Music Students Across United States
Row 1, L-R: Chris Trousdale Dream Award winners Elijah Anderson, Farid Garofalo Germes, Nairobi Mouning, Brodie Mullin, Leah Murphy, Kylah Palmer
Row 2, L-R: Chris Trousdale Dream Award Winners Henry Perrine, Arianna Rodriguez, Jenesis Wesley, Allison Wong; Curtis Mayfield Scholarship Winners Josiah Moore, Jenny Ruby Najarro
Not pictured: Dominic Moore
NEW YORK, NY - September 4, 2025 - BMI Foundation, Inc. has announced the presentation of the 2025 Chris Trousdale Dream Awards and Curtis Mayfield Scholarships to high school students across the country.
The Chris Trousdale Dream Awards provide support for young musicians to attend summer programs, travel to auditions, pay tuition at college music programs, or pursue any opportunity that might support their artistic development. These awards honor the memory of performer and composer Chris Trousdale by commemorating his time in New York, California, and his home state of Michigan with $5,000 annual prizes for students of performing arts schools in each state, and $2,000 annual awards for an additional five students nationwide based on essays about their musical experiences. The awards are underwritten by Craig Robinson, Executive Vice President and Chief Inclusion Officer at NBC Universal.
This year, with a generous additional donation by Mr. Robinson, eight students received awards for their essays. The winners include Dominic Moore (Kansas), Nairobi Mouning (Connecticut), Brodie Mullin (Georgia), Leah Murphy (California), Kylah Palmer (Washington), Henry Perrine (Louisiana), Jenesis Wesley (Wisconsin), and Allison Wong (Georgia). School awards were given to Elijah Anderson of Detroit School of Arts, Farid Garofalo Germes of Repertory Company High School for Theatre Arts, and Arianna Rodriguez of Los Angeles County High School for the Arts.
The Curtis Mayfield Award, given in partnership with the Curtis Mayfield Foundation, honors the memory of the iconic Chicago-born songwriter, musician and producer with two $3,000 scholarships annually granted to a graduating senior at the public performing arts high schools Chicago High School for the Arts (ChiArts) and Dekalb School of the Arts in Atlanta. This year’s winners include Jenny Ruby Najarro (Chicago), an 18-year old Guatemalan-American first generation student who will be attending the University of Illinois at Chicago as a BA Music Major in her pursuit of being a professional Latin music artist; and Josiah Moore (Atlanta), an aspiring jazz musician, trumpet player, composer, arranger, songwriter, and poet who will be attending Manhattan School of Music in New York City as he works toward one day owning his own music venue where jazz and other art forms are kept alive.
About the BMI Foundation, Inc.
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.
