BMI Foundation Celebrates New York City Scholarship Winners
L-R: Kavi Ohri Memorial Scholarship Recipient Devon Lee, Evelyn Buckstein Scholarship Recipient Jessica “jmac” McIlquham, Theodora Zavin Scholarship Recipient Amelie Siller
NEW YORK, NY - June 16, 2026 - BMI Foundation, Inc. celebrated the recipients of the Evelyn Buckstein, Kavi Ohri Memorial, and Theodora Zavin Scholarships at a small ceremony on Monday, June 15, at BMI’s New York City headquarters. The 2026 scholarship recipients, Jessica "jmac" McIlquham, Devon Lee, and Amelie Siller were honored surrounded by their family members, teachers, and BMI Foundation Board of Trustees.
The 2025 Evelyn Buckstein Scholarship, established in 2007 by the late Evelyn Buckstein, BMI Assistant Vice President and Counsel and CCNY alumna, was awarded to Jessica "jmac" McIlquham, a Popular Music Studies student at CCNY. An abolitionist, musician, and composer, jmac worked in NYC theatre as an AEA stage manager, music director, and sound designer for 11 years before eventually moving into social work by way of community organizing and activism. They currently work full-time in Supportive Housing and are passionate about meeting people’s needs, including their need for music and the arts. Their band, JMAC and the High Water, is recording their first live studio EP in July 2026, and they will continue their work engaging in mutual aid-based music festivals and planning concert series in state prisons. After graduating from CCNY, they plan to pursue grad school, enabling them to teach and lead music ensembles for incarcerated populations.
Composer and bassist Devon Lee was named the recipient of the 2026 Kavi Ohri Memorial Scholarship. Established in 2023 in memory of BMI Senior Director of Business Development and Account Relations Kavi Ohri, the scholarship honors students with talent in their field and who, like Ohri, show interest in mentoring those who come after them. As a composer, Devon is inspired by folk music, digital art, and queer history, but especially by the lovely musicians and people around them. Their goal is to write pieces that make performers feel powerful, and their favorite part of composition is playing with eclectic characters, moods, and bright colors. This fall, Devon will be starting at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, majoring in Composition with a Concentration in Double Bass; they hope to be an advocate for equity and change as well as a musician.
Finally, singer/songwriter Amelie Siller was named the recipient of the 2026 Theodora Zavin Scholarship, given annually to a graduating senior at LaGuardia High School demonstrating excellence in composition to honor the memory of the Founding President of the BMI Foundation and esteemed BMI senior executive Theodora Zavin. With music influenced by pivotal artists like The Cure, Cocteau Twins, Björk, and The Sundays, Amelie holds a powerful compositional voice informed by the musical lineage in her songs. Her expressive, confessional writing has drawn comparisons to storytelling artists like Lana Del Rey, Norah Jones or Cat Power. She regularly performs her music at iconic venues across New York, including The Bitter End.
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.
