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| Diocesan Choir Scholarship winners Lauren Trowbridge, second from left, and Lydia Kronberg, third from left, are pictured with Linda Galang, choir scholarship committee chair, and Dr. Patrick Gorman, choir director, during the choir’s spring concert May 17. (Dick Jones photo) |
MADISON — The Madison Diocesan Choir awarded five Youth Pastoral Musician Scholarship Awards (YPMSA), at the choir’s spring concert on May 17 in the chapel at Holy Name Heights in Madison.
Linda Galang, the choir’s scholarship committee chair, introduced two of the five winners who were able to attend the concert.
The scholarship initiative is for middle and high school students who are active in their parish music ministries. A successful applicant can receive $500 to attend an approved summer music clinic.
This year and last, the choir set aside $1,000 for scholarships, funding for two awards. But last year, an anonymous donor matched that amount to let the choir award four scholarships. This year, two anonymous donors contributed funds to permit three additional awards.
The recipients introduced at the concert were:
• Lydia Kronberg, a member of St. Patrick Parish, Doylestown, and a ninth grader, who will attend Strings without Borders this summer in Omaha, Neb.
• Lauren Trowbridge, a member of St. Bernard Parish, Madison, and an 11th grader, who will attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Summer Music Clinic.
The following recipients were unable to attend the concert:
• Samuel Thompson, a member of St. Pius X Parish, Cambridge, and a ninth grader, who will attend the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Summer Music Clinic.
• Jacob Walsh, a member of St. John Vianney Parish, Janesville, and an 11th grader, who will attend the Wisconsin School Music Association State Honors Camp.
• Isaac Zelinski, a member of the St. Henry Parish, Watertown, and an eighth grader, who will attend the attend the American Suzuki Institute in Stevens Point.
Galang could not be more pleased with the growing success of the scholarship initiative. “This year, we have two donors, and we are most grateful for their support,” Galang said. “Thanks to them, we can award five scholarships, and our winners are amazing. One is a state honors choir member. We also have extended our reach, helping parishes in small communities around the diocese create opportunities for youth to grow in faith and participate more fully in the liturgy.”
Equally pleased is Dr. Patrick Gorman, diocesan choir director and director of the diocesan Office of Worship. “Our mission and focus has always been that of a liturgical choir, and the choir has served the diocese and its parishes admirably,” Gorman said. “With this initiative, the choir has expanded its role, providing excellent opportunities for our youth to enjoy music as we do and increase their faith and participation in the parish community. I applaud the choir for the work it is doing and congratulate this year’s winners.”