The Juilliard School is grateful for a robust group of new current and endowed scholarships, which have greatly strengthened the School’s resources. A devoted and enthusiastic member of the Juilliard audience who had previously endowed scholarships in drama and voice is the anonymous benefactor of the Paul Taylor Scholarship. The dance scholarship salutes the artistry and achievement of Juilliard alumnus Paul Taylor (B.S. ’53, dance). Ben Armato (Diploma ’51, clarinet) endowed the Reed Wizard Ben Armato Clarinet Scholarship, in celebration of his career with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and his invention of a reed-honing device.

Other endowed awards have come from new friends of the School. The Byron J. Gustafson Scholarship honors the recently retired director of Opus 3 Artists. (An article about this new scholarship and the man it celebrates ran in the February 2010 issue ofThe Journal.) The Clement Meadmore Scholarship in Jazz pays tribute to the late Australian-American sculptor who was closely associated with leading jazz artists during his lifetime. Susan Ollila endowed the R. Maurice Boyd Scholarship, an award for voice students, in memory of her husband who was the minister of City Church for many years. Dr. Boyd strongly supported his church’s music ministry, which included several Juilliard-trained organists and singers. The Clara and Alexander Ostriker Scholarship is a fund for tuition and living expense support, generously endowed by the Joy and Gilbert Helman Family Foundation.

The Elissa and James Nassy Scholarship, an award for music students, is named for two longtime members of the Buffalo Philharmonic, who lived on the Upper West Side in retirement. Mrs. Nassy, a French horn player, left her entire estate, including her apartment and her Steinway piano, to Juilliard. The Frances I. Cheyne Scholarship came via an estate gift, and is designated for voice, piano, or violin students. The Estate of Stanley Tucker endowed the Cecelia Felman Piano Scholarship, as well as an endowed fund in support of Juilliard’s educational outreach program. The Elisabeth Smith Scholarship is an estate gift that will fully support four students’ tuition and living expenses at Juilliard. The Irving Mulde Scholarship has been created through a generous bequest.

Alumni and their families are among Juilliard’s most generous scholarship donors. The Estate of Libbey Davis has established the Libbey Davis Scholarship, an award for music students, reflecting Mrs. Davis’s studies at Juilliard in the 1930s. The Regina Sarfaty Rickless Scholarship was established to honor a Juilliard alumna celebrating a milestone birthday last November. Ms. Sarfaty Rickless (B.S. ’57, voice) sang with the New York City Opera and now teaches in Santa Fe, N.M. The award is for designated for voice students, with preference for mezzo-sopranos. Erich Graf (B.M. ’72, M.M. ’74, flute), principal flutist of the Utah Symphony, made a gift establishing the Erich L. Graf Flute Scholarship in Recognition of Julius and Ruth Baker. From their home in Warsaw, Bozena and Lesek Ciupinski established the Jakub Ciupinski Scholarship in honor of their son, a Juilliard composition alumnus (M.M. ’08). The Elizabeth S. Phelan Scholarship, Edna Bockstein Madway Scholarship, and Barbara Payne Glick Scholarship were all created as memorial tributes to Juilliard alumnae Elizabeth (Diploma ’41,organ), Edna (’38, piano), and Barbara (’46, piano).

The Ronald Csuha and Cecil Yarbrough Scholarship, a new award for instrumentalists, has been established by two of Juilliard’s most enthusiastic patrons. Longtime supporters of Juilliard and frequent audience members, Mr. Csuha and Mr. Yarbrough recently decided to help our students with much needed scholarship support. The Guy Griffo Scholarship, an award for drama students, was established by Richard and Nicoletta Incerto in memory of Mrs. Incerto’s brother who had some stage experience and was an avid theatergoer.

The William Polisi Scholarship in Bassoon was jointly created by Lynne Rutkin, formerly Juilliard’s vice president for development and now deputy director for external affairs of the Frick Collection, and Juilliard’s president, Joseph W. Polisi, in tribute to his father. The scholarship honors William Polisi’s career as a member of the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. The Lucius Littauer Foundation Scholarship is designated for students from Israel.

Juilliard’s dance students will benefit from three new awards. The Dizzy Feet Foundation Scholarship has been made possible by a generous gift to Juilliard in the inaugural year of the foundation’s grant making. The Robert Pagent Scholarship was established by William Schneider in memory of his friend, who had a long career with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and on Broadway. The Turkan Dorsan Scholarship honors Juilliard Council member Sanem Alkan’s grandmother.

Juilliard’s Music Advancement Program (MAP) has been greatly enriched with the support of three new scholarships. The Carol Tanenbaum Scholarship was begun by Ms. Tanenbaum, who in turn inspired her friend, Dr. Shelley Neiderbach, to also start a MAP scholarship, known as the Daniel Montoya and Michael Montoya Scholarship. The Curtis O. Herbert Scholarship was established by Mr. Herbert’s family in recognition of Mr. Herbert’s lifelong passion for music. The Pre-College Division received a gift of the proceeds of a charitable gift annuity from the late Natalie Shainess to establish the Natalie Shainess Scholarship for violin and piano students. Dr. Shainess had been a Pre-College student many years ago.

The School always welcomes the opportunity to discuss ways to support our educational and artistic activities through a variety of programs including unrestricted gifts, currently funded or endowed scholarships, instrument donation, special project support, bequests, and other planned gifts. Named current scholarships begin with a gift of $2,500 or more and permanently endowed named scholarships may be established with a gift of $50,000 or more. For more information about contributing to Juilliard, please call the Office of Development and Public Affairs at (212) 799-5000, ext. 278, or visit juilliard.edu/giving.