The Ute Krayenbuehl Scholarship celebrates the honoree’s devoted commitment to Juilliard, including her membership in the Juilliard Council, and was endowed by her husband, Thomas Krayenbuehl, before their recent move back to their native Switzerland. Aurora Biamonte, a resident of Alberta, Canada, and Manhattan, endowed a piano award, the Anne Lorraine Hopkins Simpson Scholarship, in remembrance of her close friend, who died in 2005. And keenly aware of the need for strong scholarship resources, Juilliard trustee Keith Gollust established the Keith Gollust Scholarships in Dance and Piano.

Generous estate planning has brought Juilliard six new scholarships. The Estate of Dorothy Lyon provided a generous bequest endowing the Alfred E. Lyon and Dorothy Lyon Scholarship, which will be awarded to drama and music students. Alfred Lyon was a former chairman and president of Philip Morris. The Frieda and Leonard Davis Scholarship, designated for string players, was endowed by a bequest from the Estate of Leonard Davis. Frieda Reisberg Davis (’40, violin) and Leonard Davis (’51, viola) met as students at Juilliard in the late 1930s. The Alice Davis Scholarship was endowed for harp students with a bequest from the Estate of Katrina Mary Sproat. 

The Estate of Jo Ann Vacchiano provided a gift that has now permanently endowed the William Vacchiano Award in Trumpet, a daughter’s honor to her father, a Juilliard alumnus who was on the faculty for almost 70 years and with the New York Philharmonic for 38. The Estate of Beatrice Schacher-Myers—a resident of Queens and a musician who also supported the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College—provided a generous bequest for a music award, the Beatrice Schacher-Myers Scholarship. The Virginia J. Wagner Scholarship is the result of a generous gift through a charitable remainder trust given by Wagner, formerly of New Jersey and Florida. 

Some Juilliard donors have been inspired to give by a family member who made sure they had music lessons and attended live performances as children. Rosemary Cufalo (John and Mary Cufalo Violin Scholarship), Barbara Agosin (Dorothy Rogers Smith Scholarship), Rhoda Koeppel (Rhoda and Adolph Koeppel Scholarship Award in Memory of Minnie Rubin) Melody McDonald (Betty Larson Scholarship), and Martin P. Kruty (Mary Anna Kruty Scholarship as established by Martin P., Frank D., Inez Z., Delphine M., and Martin J. Kruty) all saluted their parents for instilling in them a deep appreciation for the arts as well as a commitment to making that possible for other young people as well.

Franca Mulligan, widow of Gerry Mulligan, endowed the Gerry and Franca Mulligan Scholarship, which was enhanced with gifts from guests at a February tribute concert to the legendary saxophonist. The new scholarship is designated for jazz saxophone or composition students, with the provision that each year the recipient will include Mulligan standards in a recital. In celebration of jazz faculty member Ron Carter, a gala concert was held on March 27 at Juilliard, and the double bassist’s friends and fans contributed to the new Ron Carter Jazz Scholarship.

Juilliard contributors know that scholarships are a meaningful way to honor family members affiliated with Juilliard or individuals who have exemplified excellence in the arts. With the Victor Tallarico Music Scholarship, Fox Broadcasting joined 19 Entertainment and FremantleMedia to memorialize Tallarico (Diploma ’36, piano), the father of Steven Tyler, Aerosmith guitarist and a judge on Fox’sAmerican Idol. The Hai Luen Chao Leavitt Scholarship memorializes Leavitt (B.S. ’64, piano), who lived and taught piano in Hawaii for many years. Dr. Morton Herskowitz established the Karen Tuttle Memorial Scholarship to honor his wife, a member of the School’s viola faculty from 1987 to 2003. 

Designated for piano students, the Maria Olivia Judelson Scholarship honors Judelson (B.S. ’55, piano) and was established with contributions made in her memory. The Jerome Ashby Scholarship for French horn students memorializes Ashby (B.M. ’77, French horn), who was a Juilliard faculty member as well as co-principal hornist of the New York Philharmonic for 28 years.

Henrie Jo (Bootsie) Barth established two new drama scholarships: the Bill Irwin Scholarship, after watching famed actor and clown Irwin work with Juilliard drama students, and the Alan Ayckbourn Scholarship, in tribute to the acclaimed English playwright and director, whose work she greatly admires. 

The James Stais Drama Scholarship was created by Alec Stais in memory of his father, who had a distinguished career as a professor at Adelphi University. As a wedding anniversary gift, Jane-Ashley Skinner established the Peter Gilbert Skinner Scholarship in her husband’s honor. Peter was a member of Group 6 in the Drama Division. The Robert Neff Williams Scholarship has been established in tribute to Williams, a legendary member (now retired) of the School’s drama faculty who will be honored at an event at Juilliard on May 21. 

The Robert O. Dillman Scholarship, established by Douglas Dillman, honors his late father’s successful career as a music teacher and band director after studying percussion and composition at Juilliard in the late 1940s. The Neil Carlson Memorial Scholarship in Organ was established by Nancy Carlson in tribute to her brother’s lifelong passion for that instrument. Katherine Hufnagel established the Katherine L. Hufnagel Scholarship in Memory of Lowell B. Miller to honor her late husband, whose love of the arts remains a great inspiration for her life. 

The Pre-College Division welcomed three new awards that strengthen the resources available to Juilliard’s youngest music students. TheJames and Prudy Streem Scholarship in Piano was endowed by James Streem (B.S. ’56, M.S. ’59, piano), a longtime member of the Florida State University faculty. The E.T. Scholarship is an endowed unrestricted award created with a generous gift from a businessman who is also a violinist and a student in the Juilliard Evening Division. The Omus Hirshbein Scholarship was established in memory of Hirshbein (B.S. ’64, piano), the noted classical music administrator who died in December.

The D’Addario Scholarship is a new award for students of single-reed and stringed instruments in Juilliard’s Music Advancement Program for talented children from backgrounds that are underrepresented in the arts; it’s the result of a gift from the string manufacturer J. D’Addario & Company, Inc. A gala concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of Audio-Technica US, Inc., led to a gift establishing the Bebe Winans/Audio-Technica Scholarship for participants in one of Juilliard’s Summer Jazz Workshops.

Juilliard always welcomes the opportunity to discuss support of our educational and artistic activities, which can be done in a variety of ways, including unrestricted gifts, currently funded or endowed scholarships, instrument donation, special project support, bequests, and other planned gifts. Named current scholarships in the College Division 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 contact the Office of Development and Public Affairs at (212) 799-5000, ext. 278.