Music Scholarship

In 2006, the Board of Directors of Hemet Community Concert Association established a Music Scholarship funded by single ticket sales, artist’s CD sales, and donations. This scholarship is seen as one way to achieve our goal of reaching out to young people. The first scholarships were awarded in April of 2007 to San Jacinto Valley high school graduating seniors who are enrolled in an accredited two or four year institution as music majors.

Currently, this is a merit scholarship program, although we hope to address the financial need issue in the future. We are also considering expansion of the program to include students at MSJC, and supporting private music student’s tuition. Please see the NEWS section of the Home Page for updated information about our scholarships

Hemet Community Concert Association was founded in 1972, as a part of the national Community Concerts organization, which has brought top-level classical music performers to small towns all over North America for 80 years. Over the ensuing decades, Hemet has heard concerts by some of the world’s finest musicians, enriching the cultural climate of our Valley. Since 2003, we have been an independent presenter, and have expanded our series to five concerts each season—three classical, one jazz/pop and one folk/world. This diversity seems to suit our audiences, which range from children to retirees.

Our venue is the First Southern Baptist Church of Hemet, whose Pastor Rick Patterson is very supportive of our mission: to present the very best possible examples of the performing arts we can afford. Our all-volunteer Board of Directors works very hard to ensure that we spend the majority of our funds on artists’ fees, rather than administrative costs. In addition to 350 subscribers, we have the financial support of over 70 patrons, who contribute beyond the cost of tickets. Several of these patrons have already made generous donations to the Scholarship Fund.

For further information contact Ruth Morvay, Scholarship Chair, 951-658-1105

Our deepest appreciation to the following donors

Nancy Austin	Nancy Hughes
Yvonne and John Branchflower	Ted and Muriel Morris
Bill and Sherry Brosseau	Harriet Rosenthal
W. Ed and Thelma Defoy	Robert and Cathy Schley
Evalyn Demeaux	Joseph Smayda
Harold Fisher and Rose Cook
Dr. Ed and Lois Kezar	In Memory of Bertha Kezar
Delores Hale	In Memory of Lew Moore
Evelyn and Melanie Clower	In Memory of Bob Tjaden
Darlene Edwards	In Memory of Bob Tjaden
Delores Hale	In Memory of Bob Tjaden
Ruth and Maynard Morvay	In Memory of Bob Tjaden
In Honor of Joan Douglas
And the artists who allowed us to keep 15% of their CD sales proceeds for this fund.

Our 2009 Scholarship Awardees

Elyssa Lata, soprano, pursued an independent studies program so that she could graduate from high school a year early.  This spring she won second place in her division at the yearly auditions of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) held at Point Loma University.  Elyssa also won one of two scholarships presented each year to graduating senior women by the Diamondaires Women’s Chorus.  In June she presented a group of songs at a special program sponsored by the Church of the Good Shepherd in Hemet, showcasing talented young local musicians.  In December she will be soloing with the MSJC Inland Chorale.

A serious vocal student, Elyssa’s long-range plan is to attend a music conservatory with the hope of fulfilling her desire to sing opera professionally. The HCCA Scholarship Committee unanimously agreed that she shows the required talent and discipline to achieve her goal. Only age 17, she is now enrolled at Mt. San Jacinto Community College while continuing intensive vocal studies with her teacher, Jane Atherstone. 

Barry Lawrence, composer, impressed the Scholarship Committee with his self-assurance, fiery drive, 4.5 GPA, and glowing recommendations.  He is currently attending the University of Redlands as a music major, one of the few to receive a University Scholarship.  His eventual goal is to acquire a Ph.D. in Composition, and, as he put it, “make a living musically”.  In addition to his compositional skills and aspirations, he is an accomplished percussionist, and looks forward to sharing his love of music as a teacher. Barry wrote the Board of HCCA a very heart-felt thank you note, expressing his appreciation of the scholarship money he received, and his admiration for our contribution to the cultural life of this community.

P.O. Box 2241 | Hemet CA 92546 | 951-927-1775