Sharon Holmes Scholarship
Photo Credit:
Flora Yousefi receiving the 2007 Sharon Holmes ASTA/NJ Scholarship
About The Sharon Holmes ASTA/NJ Scholarship
Sharon Holmes was a violinist, teacher and a tireless advocate for the value of string education in New Jersey. She was a longtime member and friend of the New Jersey Chapter of the American String Teacher’s Association, serving as treasurer and membership director. Sharon taught in the School District of the Chathams for seventeen years, where she built up a successful string program. She was also a violinist with a number of New Jersey’s professional orchestras including the Colonial Symphony, the New Jersey State Opera Orchestra, the Paper Mill Playhouse, the Princeton Symphony and the Westfield Symphony.
The Sharon Holmes ASTA/NJ Scholarship Fund has been set up in her memory to help young New Jersey string students pursue a career in string teaching. An award of $2000 will be given annually to a New Jersey student in his/her senior year of high school planning a career in string education. The award will be presented in 2 installments. The first installment of $1000 will be presented in June of 2008 at the ASTA/NJ Awards Luncheon and the second installment upon completion of the first year of study, providing the candidate maintains a B average or better. The successful candidate will also receive a year of ASTA membership.
The full application is available on-line at www.astanj.com as a pdf file download. Interested applicants should complete the application, compose the essay and submit an audiocassette tape, CD or CD video of their playing by April 11, 2008.
For more details contact Rona Landrigan at 973 635 9075 Ext. 333 or by email at rlandrigan(at)chatham-nj.org