The Presser Foundation has approved the nominations of 265 exceptional music students nationwide as 2025-26 Undergraduate Scholar Award recipients, providing nearly $800,000 to advance the next generation of musicians. Each Presser Scholar receives $3,000 in recognition of their outstanding achievements in musical and academic performance, leadership and service, and contributions to building inclusive communities.
The 2025-26 cohort represents an extraordinary breadth of musical excellence and community impact. These Scholars include classical virtuosos who have won national competitions, jazz artists who have released professional albums, and future educators who are designing disability-accessible programs. They have founded samba clubs welcoming students of all abilities, organized concerts celebrating Afghan music and culture, and taught in underserved communities. Many have overcome profound challenges – first-generation college students navigating unfamiliar academic systems, immigrant students advocating for cultural inclusion, and musicians living with disabilities while excelling in school. Their achievements span from concertmaster positions and concerto competition victories to serving as drum techs at local high schools to mentoring students, all while maintaining exceptional academic performance. Their own words reveal the depth of their commitment to excellence and community.
“When composing songs, I focused on creating something for anyone to enjoy, hopefully swaying along to the rhythm and melodies being played,” reflects Osbeida Alvarez of North Park University, who also teaches music in a local Chicago neighborhood. “I do not just think of what professionals can do – I think of what everyone will enjoy playing.” University of New Hampshire‘s Lorrie Stevens draws on personal experience to transform spaces around her. “As a queer, female, first-generation, and low-income student, I know firsthand how it can feel to be systemically excluded from musical and academic spaces,” she explains. She addresses this through choosing academic projects focused on social justice, programming music from diverse composers, and integrating these principles into her residential life work. At Elizabethtown College, percussionist Zachary Deah, recognized by nearly every ensemble director as a department leader, champions accessibility: “I believe in the value of every person who walks into our department, where I actively try to make their lives easier over the course of a semester.”
These Scholars will embark on varied career paths that shape the future of music in a wide variety of settings – concert halls, recording studios, classrooms, community centers, music therapy clinics, and arts administration offices. As performers, composers, educators, therapists, and cultural leaders, they strengthen musical communities and expand access to the arts for generations to come.
“The Scholar Award Committee takes great pride in recognizing these outstanding students who demonstrate excellence not only in their musical artistry and academics, but in their commitment to service and inclusive leadership,” says Dr. Mary Ellen Poole, Chair of the Scholar Award Committee. “They represent the future of our field, and we are honored to support their continued growth as they make meaningful contributions to music and their communities.”