American Harp Foundation Scholarships and Awards
Foundations Awards for
College Scholarships
AHS National Competition, held on odd numbered years in conjunction with the AHS Summer Institute, offers monetary prizes in five divisions: Junior, Intermediate I, Intermediate II, Advanced, and Young Professional.
Additional awards are given for best performances of specific works in the National conference, for the study of the harp, for the study of music therapy using the harp, and for assistance to attend summer music camp.
Requirements for application:
- A Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 or equivalent, for the 4 prior years of high school, junior college or current undergraduate studies
- Acceptance in an undergraduate program for studies with a harp-centered degree program
- A 200- to 300-word paper by the applicant discussing his or her reason(s) for applying, aspirations for achievement, and the scholarship’s role in achieving those goals. Include financial needs if significant
- Two recommendations from current educators (one music and one general studies) that attest to the applicant’s abilities and drive to achieve far-reaching goals and difficult objectives
- A performance DVD, MP3, Flash Drive or Video recording which includes two memorized pieces of harp music, one that demonstrates the applicant’s highest level of technical facility and one that demonstrates difficult and demanding rhythm skills. Maximum length of 15 minutes.
- Application must be received by May 1, 2024.
Send Application:
American Harp Foundation Awards
c/o Penny Howk Beavers
646 Worcester Drive
Cambria, CA 93428-3230
For questions, contact Penny Beavers
at penny1harp@gmail.com Applications and MP3s can also be submitted electronically.
Applications and MP3s can also be submitted electronically.
Scholarships for Advanced Study
The following funds are for study of harp at a college or university. Scholarships of $2,000 each are awarded to winners of national auditions. The auditions are administered and monitored by a panel appointed by the AHS/Foundation Committee.
Kathy Bundock Moore Memorial Scholarship
Dr. Moore was both a harp instructor for the University of Northern Colorado and a private harp teacher in the state of Colorado for over 30 years. She worked diligently to increase the effectiveness of the harp instruction in Colorado. It was her wish to fund a scholarship for students enrolled in an undergraduate music degree program with a specialization in harp. Her family and friends are supporting a fund within the Foundation to make her wishes a reality. Currently the funds will provide for a non-renewable $2,000 scholarship to be awarded annually to any student studying at any university. However, priority will be given to those either attending a Colorado school or is a Colorado resident.
Congratulations to the 2023 Kathy Bundock Moore Scholarship winner:
Eliza Fichialos of Utah, a student of Professor Judy Loman at the University of Toronto
Application deadline is May 1, 2024
Announcement of scholarship recipient: June 2024
Download a PDF of the 2024 Kathy Bundock Moore Scholarship Application form.
Wickersham Award
Awarded on the basis of financial need and musical promise in the study of the harp as determined by a panel appointed by the American Harp Society Foundation. Preference is given to those pursuing study in the field of music therapy using the harp. Established in 1995 by Anthony and Ruth Papalia in honor of Ruth’s parents.
Ruth Wickersham Papalia (1935–2019) was introduced to the harp at age nine by Mildred Biehn Johnson, in Quakertown, PA. By the time she was in high school, Ruth was studying with Edna Phillips, First Harpist of the Philadelphia Orchestra. She studied harp performance with Lucy Lewis at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, in Ohio. She also studied with Carlos Salzedo at the Summer Harp Colony of America in Camden, Maine. She became a member of the famed Angelaires Harp Quintet, managed by Columbia Artists, and performed with many orchestras and ensembles throughout her career. Ruth was devoted to the American Harp Society and served in many capacities.
Congratulations to the 2023 Kids for Camp Scholarship winner, Joselyn Sky Goldman from Atascadero, California, a student of Penny Howk Beavers.
Wickersham Award 2024
Application deadline is May 1, 2024.
Requirements:
- Applicants must be active members of the American Harp Society, Inc.
- Maximum age of applicants: age 30 by June 1, 2024.
- Applicants will provide a brief biography that includes musical and academic education, personal profile, general statement of financial need, and long-range harp career goals.
- Applicants will submit a brief personal statement indicating why this award is being sought.
- Applicants will submit a recent video recordings via unlisted/private Youtube recording that demonstrates musical ability, of no more than 15 minutes in length. Repertoire is the free choice of the harpist. The emphasis in judging is to be on musicality, not on technical merit or length of study.
- Applicants must submit two letters of reference, evaluating the applicant’s candidacy. One of these letters should be from a present or previous harp instructor.
Send Application:
Submit application materials, including digital video recording, to: americanharpfoundation@gmail.com
Kids for Camp 2024 Award
The Kids for Camp Award* makes summer music camp or a harp conference a reality for a young harpist who might otherwise not have such an opportunity. For 2024, two $500 awards will be given to promising young harp students on the basis of great financial need.
Congratulations to the 2023 Kids for Camp Scholarship winner, Joselyn Sky Goldman from Atascadero, California, a student of Penny Howk Beavers.
Requirements:
- Applicant must be between the ages of 10 years and 16 years on May 1, 2024.
- Application must be received by May 1, 2024.
Application Must Include:
- Applicant’s full name, age, birth date, address, telephone number and e-mail address.
- Specific plans to attend a summer music camp or a harp conference.
- A brief biography which includes musical and academic education, a general analysis of financial need, and a statement of why this award would be of help to the applicant.
- A CD, MP3, or video recording of the applicant’s playing, no more than 10 minutes in length, which demonstrates musical ability. At least one selection must be of standard harp repertoire and the others free choice. The judging emphasis is on musicality, not on technical merit or length of study.
- Two letters of reference evaluating the applicant’s candidacy. One of these must be from a present or previous harp instructor.
Kids for Camp 2024
Application deadline is May 1, 2024.
Download a PDF of the 2024 Kids for Camp Application form.
Send Application:
American Harp Foundation Awards
c/o Penny Howk Beavers
646 Worcester Drive
Cambria, CA 93428-3230
For questions, contact Penny Beavers
at penny1harp@gmail.com Applications and MP3s can also be submitted electronically.
*A pass-though fund founded by Felice Pomeranz.
NOTE: Pass-through funds are those continued by yearly donations. The other funds are endowed funds and only the interest is used.