International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians and BU Tanglewood Institute Announce New Scholarship for Underrepresented Musicians
International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians and Boston University Tanglewood Institute Announce New Scholarship for Underrepresented Musicians
The new scholarship will cover the full cost of attendance to BU Tanglewood Institute.
The Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI), a premier summer training program for talented young musicians ages 14 to 20, will begin offering a scholarship funded by the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians (ICSOM).
Starting in 2023 and running through 2027, the ICSOM BU Tanglewood Institute Scholarship will provide support for Underrepresented Musicians with significant financial need who would benefit from the immersive summer music program at BUTI, fulfilling an important need to smooth the pathway of pre-professional musicians who are from such underrepresented groups.
Over the course of the agreement, ICSOM will provide $50,000 to BUTI, who will award one Underrepresented Musician applying to the BUTI Young Artists Orchestra each season $10,000, an amount covering the full cost of attendance to BUTI.
Underrepresented Musicians eligible for the ICSOM BU Tanglewood Institute Scholarship may include the following:
- Members of historically underrepresented groups at Boston University Tanglewood Institute and in American orchestras (including racial and ethnic minorities and students from lower socio-economic households);
- Students who will be first-generation college students;
- Students who have followed non-traditional pathways to musical excellence due to exceptional talent and motivation in the face of adversity, such as societal, economic, or academic disadvantages;
- Students with a demonstrated commitment to including and applying diverse backgrounds and perspectives to learning, scholarship, service, and civic leadership; and/or
- Students who have participated in strong music programs in institutions such as Pathway Programs or through organizations that focus on diversity and inclusion in music.
“ICSOM is pleased to partner with the BU Tanglewood Institute for the creation of this scholarship,” said ICSOM President Paul Austin. “Such an award will assist in training qualified high school musicians who aspire to have an orchestral career and bolster the pipeline for those who will one day seek a position in an ICSOM orchestra. We expect that the inspiring setting of Tanglewood and access to the Boston Symphony Orchestra, a charter member of ICSOM, will be a formative experience for those who receive the ICSOM BU Tanglewood Institute scholarship. ICSOM has contributed scholarship funds to underrepresented musicians for decades, but this scholarship represents a substantial increase in assistance to deserving musicians whose paths to the stage may have been limited by systemic financial hardship.”
“The scholarship partnership with ICSOM is extremely meaningful in our mission to make this transformational program accessible to all qualified students, from all backgrounds, regardless of the financial barriers they face,” said Nicole Wendl, BUTI Executive Director. “And what’s more, is that it sends a message to the field at large that this is where the momentum is building and invites everyone to come along.”
The scholarship partnership with ICSOM is extremely meaningful in our mission to make this transformational program accessible to all qualified students, from all backgrounds, regardless of the financial barriers they face. And what’s more, is that it sends a message to the field at large that this is where the momentum is building and invites everyone to come along.
About Participating Organizations
Created in 1966 at the invitation of then-BSO music director Erich Leinsdorf, BUTI was developed by Boston University College of Fine Arts as a summer program to complement the existing offerings of the BSO’s Tanglewood Music Center (TMC). More than 50 years later, BUTI continues to build upon its legacy of excellence, offering a transformative experience to more than 400 young instrumentalists, composers, and singers who reside at its 64-acre campus in Lenox, Massachusetts. Its intensive programs, distinguished faculty, and the opportunities afforded through its unique affiliation with the BSO and TMC have combined to give BUTI a celebrated and distinctive reputation among summer music programs of its kind. BUTI alumni contribute to today’s musical world as prominent performers and conductors, composers and educators, and administrators and board members. Currently, fifteen members of the BSO are BUTI alumni.
The program demonstrates great commitment to students from around the country and world, nearly half of whom are supported by the BUTI Scholarship Fund, made possible by contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporations. BUTI’s season includes six performances at Seiji Ozawa Hall and more than seventy concerts and recitals in and around Lenox.
The International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians (ICSOM) represents nearly 4000 symphonic musicians in the top 53 orchestras in the United States and Puerto Rico. ICSOM’s mission is to promote a better and more rewarding livelihood for the skilled orchestral performer and to enrich the cultural life of our society.
EXPERIENCE THE MAGIC OF BUTI
As a student at BUTI, you become part of the Tanglewood continuum – a rich and expanding family of artists. From your peer musicians in training to teachers who inspire, all the way through to the TMC Fellows, members of the BSO, and rock stars in the field, you can see yourself every step of the way. All it takes is one summer and you’ll forever be a part of this community of artists, educators, leaders, and advocates.