Arizona Musicfest Scholarship
About The Arizona Musicfest Scholarship
Since 2011, Arizona Musicfest has awarded over $90,000 to Arizona students pursuing college degrees in music through the Arizona Musicfest Scholarship Program.
Arizona Musicfest Scholarship Recipients are students and alumni of the following distinguished institutions: The Juilliard School, New England Conservatory of Music, Yale University, The Cleveland Institute of Music, USC’s Thornton School of Music, Biola University, Arizona State University, The Eastman School of Music, Vanderbilt University, and Curtis Institute of Music.
Each year, Musicfest awards an initial scholarship to a graduating high school senior, as well as four renewing scholarships to past winners currently enrolled and excelling in their collegiate academic and music studies. Scholarship recipients are eligible to receive four years of Musicfest funding to aid in their pursuit of an undergraduate music degree.
As a non-profit performing arts organization, Arizona Musicfest is unique among its industry colleagues in providing this type of on-going financial support to college-level musicians.
To adjudicate the scholarship process, both for new applicants and renewing candidates, Arizona Musicfest annually assembles a distinguished review panel of professional musicians and educators to review each candidate’s application, performance videos, academic record, musical accomplishments, professional references, and written essays.
Through our patrons’ generous support of the Arizona Musicfest Scholarship Fund, Arizona Musicfest provides some of the Valley’s most accomplished and deserving Young Musicians with not only valuable financial aid, but also with a community of enthusiastic fans who stand behind these aspiring young musicians and help them to realize their dreams.
2019 Arizona Musicfest First Year Scholarship Recipients
Rina Kubota, violin (Tempe), and Belle Wang, violin (Mesa), were chosen from an exciting and talented group of applicants for their artistic excellence, musical and academic achievement, dedication to their craft, and involvement in their communities. A jury comprised of professional musicians, educators, and arts administrators from around the Valley reviewed student applications and performance video submissions and were unanimous in their selection of Rina and Belle.
Beginning in the Fall, Ms. Kubota will attend Yale University studying with Wendy Sharp, while Ms. Wang will begin her studies at The University of Southern California Thornton School of Music with Margaret Batjer.
Rina Kubota
Yale University, 2019-2023
Belle Wang
University of Southern California, 2019-2023
Belle Wang, 17, has earned First Prize in numerous competitions including the ASTA State Solo Competition, MTNA State Solo Competition, Arizona Musicfest Young Musicians Competition, American Protégé International Concerto Competition, Philadelphia International Music Festival Solo Competition, and International Grande Music Competition. After her debut with the Chandler Symphony as winner of the 2016 Chandler Symphony Orchestra Competition, Belle performed in national venues like Carnegie Hall and Merkin Concert Hall in New York City. In 2017 and 2019, she performed with The Phoenix Symphony as the Grand Prize and Clotilde Otranto winner of the Phoenix Youth Symphony Concerto Competition. As a member of Phoenix Youth Symphony she has been concertmaster of the Symphonette and Youth Symphony and later, in the World Youth Symphony Orchestra at Interlochen Summer Arts Camp. In addition to studying with Danwen Jiang, Professor of Violin at ASU, she has been in the masterclasses of esteemed violinists including Cho-Liang Lin and Peter Zazofsky. She will begin her studies at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music with Margaret Batjer in the Fall of 2019.
Belle Wang Performing Eugene Ysaye’s Sonata for Violin Solo in D Minor, Op.27, No.3 “Ballade”
Rina Kubota Performing Johan Halvosen’s Passacaglia (After Handel) with her brother, Leo.
Meet the Arizona Musicfest College Scholars!
First Year Scholarship Recipients
Rina Kubota
Yale University, 2019-2023
Belle Wang
University of Southern California, 2019-2023
Belle Wang, 17, has earned First Prize in numerous competitions including the ASTA State Solo Competition, MTNA State Solo Competition, Arizona Musicfest Young Musicians Competition, American Protégé International Concerto Competition, Philadelphia International Music Festival Solo Competition, and International Grande Music Competition. After her debut with the Chandler Symphony as winner of the 2016 Chandler Symphony Orchestra Competition, Belle performed in national venues like Carnegie Hall and Merkin Concert Hall in New York City. In 2017 and 2019, she performed with The Phoenix Symphony as the Grand Prize and Clotilde Otranto winner of the Phoenix Youth Symphony Concerto Competition. As a member of Phoenix Youth Symphony she has been concertmaster of the Symphonette and Youth Symphony and later, in the World Youth Symphony Orchestra at Interlochen Summer Arts Camp. In addition to studying with Danwen Jiang, Professor of Violin at ASU, she has been in the masterclasses of esteemed violinists including Cho-Liang Lin and Peter Zazofsky. She will begin her studies at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music with Margaret Batjer in the Fall of 2019.