LaGuardia Arts Graduate Rain Johannes Wins 2015 Theodora Zavin Scholarship
BMI Foundation Composer-in-Residence at LaGuardia High School, Jim Pugliese; BMI Foundation's Deirdre Chadwick; 2015 Theodora Zavin Scholarship winner Rain Johannes; Joshua Zavin; Jonathan Zavin.
The BMI Foundation has announced that college-bound composer and musician Rain Johannes is the winner of the 2015 Theodora Zavin Scholarship, a music study prize named in honor of the Foundation’s late founding President, Theodora Zavin. The $2,000 award was presented at a private ceremony held on June 23rd, 2015 at Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI)’s New York City headquarters.
The Theodora Zavin Scholarship is granted annually to a graduating senior musician at Manhattan’s prestigious Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts and recognizes outstanding achievement in composition. The award was established in 2005 through the generosity of friends, family, and colleagues to honor the memory of Theodora Zavin, BMI’s former Senior Vice President & Special Counsel. Zavin was a pioneer supporter of copyright protection on behalf of songwriters and publishers for nearly fifty years at BMI; she also oversaw the establishment of the BMI Foundation and many of its core programs for young musicians.
BMI Foundation’s Rich Garza, Amanda Charnley, Deirdre Chadwick, David F. Bills; 2015 Theodora Zavin Scholarship winner Rain Johannes; BMI Foundation Composer-in-Residence at LaGuardia High School, Jim Pugliese; Jonathan Zavin; Joshua Zavin; BMI Foundation’s Antonella DiSaverio, Ralph N. Jackson.
“Receiving the Theodora Zavin Scholarship from the BMI Foundation was an incredible honor,” Johannes remarked. “Knowing that there are people who support my pursuits in music gives me added confidence to continue in college. Sometimes it seems like there is a shortage of support for aspiring artists in our society, so to experience firsthand the generosity of the BMI Foundation restores my hope that there are still great people out there encouraging young people like me to foster their passions.”
Rain Johannes is an 18-year-old composer/multi-instrumentalist from New York City and a recent graduate of LaGuardia High School, with a major in instrumental music. With over seven years of experience playing guitar and bass, Rain has performed at many venues throughout the Northeast, most notably The Bitter End, Webster Hall, and Madison Square Garden. His catalogue spans multiple genres and includes compositions for band, solo electric bass, and string ensemble. Rain is the proud recipient of the Charles Fox Award for accomplished young composers and The ASCAP Foundation Boosey & Hawkes Young Composer Award. Rainplans on pursuing a degree in musical composition at Bard College in the fall. When he isn’t composing, you can find Rain watching the Discovery Channel or playing frisbee in Central Park.