Left to right: Berklee alumna Courtney Harrell '01, Berklee City Music Dean Krystal Banfield, Ricky Persaud Jr., Lizzie Zink, Lea Grace Swinson, Jadan Graves, Brian Richburg, and Berklee Provost Larry Simpson.
Five young musicians from underserved communities in Boston and across the U.S. were awarded four-year, full-tuition scholarships to attend the Berklee College of Music during an emotional presentation at the Berklee Performance Center on August 8. Included in the group was Westerville Central High School graduate Lizzie Zink.
Emceed by Berklee alumna Courtney Harrell '01, an L.A.-based singer-songwriter and recent finalist on NBC’s The Voice, the scholarship presentation came at the conclusion of Berklee’s Five-Week Summer Performance Program, which included more than 100 teens who attended on Berklee City Music Summer Scholarships.
Scholarship students were welcomed to the stage by Harrell; Berklee Provost Larry Simpson; and Krystal Banfield, Berklee City Music dean and interim vice president, education outreach and social entrepreneurship. The concert showcased the talents of Berklee City Music students performing in jazz, pop-rock, funk/Latin, R&B, and choral ensembles.
The recipients were all participants in Berklee City Music®, a program that delivers high-quality contemporary music education instruction to youth from underserved communities at no or low cost. The Berklee City Music Network® is an association of 46 community organizations that serves more than 46,000 students in the U.S. and Canada each year. Since its inception, Berklee City Music has awarded 251 four-year, full-tuition scholarships totaling more than $2 million.
2017 Berklee City Music College Scholarship Recipients are:
- Jadan Graves, Memphis, Tennessee;
- Ricky Persaud Jr., Irvington, New Jersey;
- Brian Richburg, New Orleans, Louisiana;
- Lea Grace Swinson, Dorchester, Massachusetts; and
- Lizzie Zink, Westerville, Ohio.