Thanks to a generous scholarship grant from the National Federation of Music Clubs Fund for the Advancement of the Musical Arts, six outstanding high school musicians were given the opportunity to attend the Lamont School of Music Summer Pre-College Academy at the University of Denver this summer. The scholarship recipients were Taylor Crow, Jared Engstrom, Cynthia Jung, Advaith Rau, David Samson, and Moriah Svenson.

Taylor Crow, cellist, will be a senior at St. Joseph High School in St. Joseph, Michigan. She is a member of the Lake Michigan Youth Orchestra, Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orchestra and her high school chamber orchestra. She plans to double major in music performance and engineering in college.

“I had the most amazing experience at Lamont, I met some of the greatest young musicians and could not imagine a better place to make music.”

Jared Engstrom is a trumpet player from Phoenix, Arizona, who will be a senior at Mountain Ridge High School. He is involved in the Phoenix Youth Symphony, marching band and wind ensemble. His music honors include principal trumpet in the regional orchestra and second chair in All-State this year. In addition, he was a scholarship recipient in 2008 to the Idyllwild Arts Summer Program.

“Lamont has a lot of fun activities, but probably my favorite is learning music theory and how music is composed. The best part about this whole experience is that it helped me decide that I will definitely continue music when I attend college.”

Cynthia Jung, bassoonist, is a junior at Desert Mountain High School in Phoenix, Arizona. She is a member of the Phoenix Youth Symphony, as well as her school’s marching band and symphonic band. Last summer, she attended the Idyllwild Arts Summer Program on a full scholarship awarded by the PYS. Although her career goals are undecided, she plans to continue her music studies in college.

“This music camp has been a great experience to meet other talented musicians and enhance my own playing.”

Advaith Rau is a violist from Lincoln, Nebraska, and will be a junior at Lincoln East this year. He is a member of the Lincoln Youth Symphony and has received numerous superior ratings in solo and ensemble festival. His college plan is to pursue a double major in music and aerospace engineering.

“The Summer Pre-College Academy at the Lamont School of Music was beneficial in expanding my musicianship and was a great place to meet new people.”

David Samson, oboist and pianist from Colorado Springs, Colorado, is a recent graduate of Air Academy High School. He will be attending the University of Denver this fall on a music scholarship, pursuing a double major in oboe performance and pre-medicine. He has received superior ratings in the CSFMC festival throughout high school in both piano solo and piano duo.

“This camp has given me a great insight as to what life will be like both on campus and as a music student here at Lamont.”

Moriah Svenson is a violinist from Denver, Colorado. She is a member of her high school orchestra, youth chamber orchestra, and hospital music therapy quartet. She has also received superior ratings in her local CFMC festival. Her college plans are to pursue a degree in music theory and composition.

“The Academy was one of the hardest, most rewarding experiences of my life. Everything was awesome!”

The Lamont School of Music Summer Pre-College Academy is for students ages 14-18, who are interested in an intensive and stimulating summer music program. Featuring the Lamont School of Music’s state-of-the-art facilities, the Academy provides students with a broad spectrum of music study, including private lessons and master classes with renowned faculty, as well as workshops in conducting, improvisation, theory computer composition, preparing for college auditions, stage fright and World music. Chamber music, orchestra, wind ensemble, choir and musical theater are also an integral part of the Academy.