The Presser Foundation Awards $160,000 to 16 Exceptional Graduate Music Students
Each award supports a project created by the student that will further their education and/or experiences in music. See below for a complete listing of recipients and projects approved this year.
- Julian Duncan (Florida State University, PhD Musicology): Researching Puerto Rico’s military and municipal bands from 1898-1930, including archival work in Puerto Rico, New York, and Washington, DC, with plans to commission arrangements of historical performances.
- Brendan Keller-Tuberg (Indiana University, DMA Jazz Studies): Creating a 10-track jazz album that analyzes and recomposes the music of Charles Ives and developing new compositional techniques and improvisational frameworks for contemporary jazz.
- Letian Cheng (New England Conservatory, DMA Musical Arts): Studying Asian American composers focusing on Chou Wen-chung, including conducting research at the Chou Wen-chung Music Research Center in China and commissioning a new solo violin work by a contemporary Asian composer.
- Josíah Garza (Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University, MM Composition): Creating “Kin Psalms,” an evening-length opera-ballet exploring themes of co-dependency, abandonment, conformation, and more through collaboration with musicians, dancers, and a licensed therapist.
- Alec Eads (Rice University, MM Trombone Performance): Commissioning Metropolitan Opera Orchestra principal trombonist Sasha Romero to compose a sonata for alto trombone and piano for his master’s recital.
- Dan Maguire (Temple University, PhD Composition): Developing, workshopping, and recording the “Rockhill Flower & Garden,” a one-act opera that will expand artistic voice through collaborations with diverse musicians.
- Francesco Barfoed (The Juilliard School, DMA Collaborative Piano): Recording and promoting a studio album featuring art songs by overlooked Danish composer Rued Langgaard, bringing attention to him and Danish musical heritage more broadly.
- Abigail Ryan (University of Cincinnati, PhD Musicology): Examining ensemble singing through trauma studies and ethnographic methods, exploring how musical communities help heal trauma and foster belonging and resilience.
- Felipe Hoyos Gonzales (University of Illinois, DMA Composition): Composing and recording an innovative album based on memory and human voice to create rich, complex textures that blur the boundaries between acoustic and electronic sound.
- Hongxi Li (University of Miami, DMA Keyboard Performance): Creating an immersive concert experience featuring works by Chinese composer Chen Yi to attract new audiences to classical music and celebrate cultural exchange.
- Laura Clapp (University of Michigan, MM Choral Conducting): Conducting a comparative study of prison choir programs across the U.S. and U.K., examining their methodologies and impacts in order to prepare for launching a new choir program within a Michigan correctional facility.
- Allyson Kreider (University of North Texas, DMA Flute Performance): Expanding the repertoire for woodwind quintet through a commission from acclaimed composer Jeffrey Mumford, addressing the need for diverse voices in chamber music and challenging traditional repertoire boundaries.
- Chenxin Han (Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, MA Music Education): Developing an accessible web resource featuring authentic Chinese children’s songs with musical notations, recordings, and pedagogical notes for music educators.
- Olivia Carbajal (USC, MS Arts Leadership): Exploring the integration of Native Hawaiian music and movement into Western classical music through “Hālau and Hall,” bridging cultural practices and performance traditions and creating new avenues for classical music accessibility.
- Rachel Spencer (University of Texas, DMA Music Performance): Creating “The Next Right Thing,” her debut jazz trumpet album fostering visibility and opportunities for women in jazz through performances, recordings, and educational initiatives.
- Rafael Méndez (Yale University School of Music, MM Flute): Merging music, environmental advocacy, and multimedia storytelling through a recording project and performance tour designed to inspire action on ecological crises.
Dr. Mary Ellen Poole, Chair of the Scholar Award Committee, shared: “The Presser Foundation is incredibly proud to support these 16 exceptional graduate music students through our Graduate Music Award program. These diverse projects represent the innovative thinking that will shape the future of music in the U.S. Each recipient demonstrates extraordinary talent, intellect, and a commitment to expanding musical boundaries and fostering cultural understanding. We’re honored to invest in these visionary young artists as they develop projects that will undoubtedly make distinguished contributions to our musical landscape.”
About The Presser Foundation
The Presser Foundation was established in 1939 under the Deeds of Trust and Will of the late music publisher Theodore Presser. It is one of the few private foundations in the United States dedicated solely to music education and music philanthropy. The Presser Foundation supports music organizations working in a broad range of traditions, genres, and styles through general operating and program grants to music organizations; capital grants for music building projects; undergraduate and graduate student awards; and assistance to retired music teachers. Much of the grant making focus of the Foundation is on organizations and institutions in the 75-mile radius surrounding Center City Philadelphia. For more information: www.presserfoundation.org.
