AMCA Scholarship Winners 2003

Meet the 2003-2004 AMCA Scholarship Winners

The AMCA Scholarship Committee is pleased to present to our membership the successful winners of our Scholarships for the academic year 2003-2004. Our congratulations to these outstanding young musicians! (See Scholarship winners 2003 announced!)

Sat, Jul 04, 2009 | 1900 since

Timothy Buchholz
Stevens Point, Wisconsin

Tim Buchholz, with the highest evaluation from our panel of eight evaluators, is this year's winner of the Lester Axdahl Scholarship Award, which recognizes the highest achievement among the candidates evaluated in this year's AMCA Scholarship Program. This is his first AMCA Scholarship award.

During his first year at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Tim was accepted into the WMU Gold Company, a sixteen-voice award-winning vocal jazz ensemble that performs throughout the country and abroad. He also performed with the 200-voice WMU Grand Chorale and the 36-voice University Chorale, which last year with Tim's help placed first in the Robert Schuman Chorale Competition in Germany. This competition was the finale to a two-week performance tour through Europe that included venues in Austria, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands, in addition to Germany. Also during his first year at WMU, Tim lent his strong tenor talents to a classical sextet and a vocal jazz quartet.

Shortly after finishing his sophomore year at WMU this past spring, Tim departed on a 23-day tour singing with the Gold Company. The group performed at Alice Tully Hall and the Lincoln Center in New York City, then departed for South Africa where the ensemble was involved for more than two and a half weeks performing in concert as well as conducting music workshops throughout the country.

Tim's passion for male chorus singing is best summed up in his own words, "My favorite part about Male Chorus is the camaraderie between the guys. Not only do we make great music, but also we have a fun time doing it."

Tim is a member of the honors college and is pursuing his degree in vocal jazz performance with perhaps a double major to include music theory or composition.

The Kalamazoo Male Chorus of the Michigan District takes pride in its sponsorship of this year's Lester Axdahl winner.

Joseph Angelo
Toronto, Ontario

Baritone Joseph Angelo is in his third year of vocal studies at the University of Toronto, where he plans to complete his undergraduate work before continuing his academic music career at the graduate level. He sings with the MacMillan Singers at the U of T as well as with such ensembles as the Victoria Scholars and the Hart House Chorus. When he isn't performing vocally, he serves as organist for three churches in the Greater Toronto area. At one of these, St. Paul Basilica, he is both musical director and manager of a small choir. In addition he has served as conductor for the Cantophili Chamber Choir, an ensemble of male vocalists based in Toronto.

Prior to entering U of T, Joseph was enrolled in the prestigious St. Michael's Choir School in Toronto, where he studied piano, organ, and voice.

Joseph's ultimate objective is to pursue a professional career on the operatic stage. Pursuant to this career goal, this past summer he participated in Summer Opera Lyric Theatre, a Toronto-based program dedicated to instructing young singers in stagecraft. Besides attending the program's master-classes and lectures, he played the role of Leporello in a production of Mozart's Don Giovanni.

In May of this year, he joined the Queensmen of Toronto, his sponsoring chorus, in their annual Springfest, a concert celebrating the spirit and optimistic sentiment of spring. In commenting on Joseph's performance, Gerry Glinski of the Queensmen stated that Joseph was "very disciplined; a sincere and personable young man. Poised and possessing a comfortable self-assurance. We admired what he was able to do with his voice."

Gavin Bidelman
Ypsilanti, Michigan

Now in his second year at the University of Michigan's School of Music, Gavin Bidelman continues his passion for vocal music as a member of the University's Men's Glee Club; the GMen, an all male a cappella group; and the U of M's acclaimed Concert Choir.

Concurrent with a busy schedule of singing performances, Gavin arranges music for the GMen and works part-time to help defray the expenses of college. Despite the number of activities he is involved in, he completed his freshman year with a 4.0 grade point while carrying a heavy 18-credit course load. In addition to his coursework, he worked with Master's-level composition students, premiering their original works at churches in the Lansing and Ann Arbor , Michigan, areas. Also, during this past summer, he toured the western United States with the U of M Men's Glee Club, performing in several concerts in California Arizona, and Nevada.

When he completes his undergraduate work at the U of M, Gavin plans to continue in graduate school in pursuit of a doctorate in music theory and composition. His ultimate goal is to become a professor of music and teach at the university level. As he puts it so well, "Music will be my medium to communicate to the world and enable me to pass on my love for the art of music to others as it continues to grow for me."

Gavin lauds the AMCA Scholarship Program and extends a sincere "Thank you for sponsoring me and enabling me to receive such a wonderful award." Gavin is sponsored by Lansing's Orpheus Male Chorus of the Michigan District.

Gary Bozigian, Jr
Redford, Michigan

Gary Bozigian's love and passion for music produced their first tangible results when he was notified in 2002 of his acceptance to Michigan's renowned Interlochen Arts Camp's summer session. There he studied voice and learned the intricacies and nuances of such varied genres as Renaissance and theatrical music, as well as the Brahms Requiem.

At Wayne State University, he performed at the Moses Hogan Choral Concert, in which he was selected for the solo "Give Me Jesus." He is a member of the Wayne State University Men's Glee Club and the Concert Chorale, and as a freshman last year was named as one of the two leading baritones in the music department.

Upon completion of his winter semester at Wayne State University in Detroit, Gary played the lead baritone role (Top) in Aaron Copeland's The Tender Land. He has also performed in concert with the University's Men's Glee Club, sang in a Glee Club quartet, and played a supernumerary role in Die Fledermaus at the Detroit Opera House in anticipation of auditioning with the opera group this fall. In July he attended the Institute of Vocal Pedagogy and Performance, in Oberlin, Ohio, further honing his performance and vocal skills. In his own words, "I look forward to auditioning for the Associated Male Choruses of America in the future and send my deepest gratitude."

Gary's sponsoring chorus is the Gentlemen Songsters of the Michigan District.

Christina Rice
Midland, Michigan

For Christina Rice, this year's AMCA Scholarship represents her third consecutive award, having been recognized for the past two years for her vocal music excellence by our panel of evaluators. (2002, 2001)

As a junior at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, Christina has continued her studies as a vocal music education major. She is a member of the National Society Collegiate Scholars and a continuing member and President of the American Choral Directors Association, CMU Students Chapter. This past February, she and 20 other members of the organization attended the ACDA National Convention in New York, and she is currently organizing the organization's third CMU ACDA Teaching Symposium to be held in October of 2003.

In addition to singing with the CMU Concert Choir and the University Chamber Singers, Christina joined a ten-piece men's and women's a cappella group formed during the 2002-2003 school year. Working with this group has given her an opportunity to develop her composing and arranging skills and perform music that she has had a great influence in arranging. In May, of 2002 she participated in a ten-day tour of Beijing, Xian, and Shanghai, China with the University Concert Choir and the Chamber Singers. She performed with the Xian Conservatory of Music Women's Chorus. This experience made real for her the expression "music is the universal language."

Christina has also been active during her summer breaks as a counselor at two summer camps working with underprivileged children in grades K-9. Working with children, she says, "is just what I want to do." She looks forward in the future to forming her own children's choir to direct at the camps.

Christina is proudly sponsored by the Midland Men of Music.

Tim Westerhaus
St. Paul, Minnesota

Tim Westerhaus's pursuit of music excellence and diversity is building an exemplary foundation for a career in music and has won for him his second AMCA Scholarship toward advancing his studies at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. (2002)

Since his award for the 2002-2003 academic year, he has significantly broadened his musical experience by giving his first solo piano recital at the collegiate level and traveling to Ireland on a Pilgrimage Tour with the university's Liturgical Choir. On this tour, he participated with the choir in performing at six churches and cathedrals in Ireland.

Upon returning to the U.S., he interned at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Minneapolis, performing musical and pastoral duties. He branched out into composing with a liturgical piece, "Voices of Hope," which was featured at the University Opening Celebration and the UST Choir's Christmas Concert. He also successfully auditioned with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and was their featured piano soloist, performing Shostakovich's Second Piano Concerto. Further expanding his musical experience, he has added the art of conducting to his skill set by completing conducting coursework at UST.

Tim has completed a pilgrimage tour to Chicago with the St. Thomas Liturgical Choir and continues to compose for liturgy. His composition, "Psalm 22: I Will Praise You Lord," was recently used for worship.

Following his academic career, Tim aspires to become a director of music and liturgy in a parish, where his talents would be used not only in a ministerial sense, but in the musical dimension as well, leading and teaching children's, young adult, and adult choral ensembles.

It is with a great deal of pride that the Cold Spring Maennerchor of AMCA's Upper Midwest District sponsors Tim in his academic musical endeavors.

Since 26 Sep 2003

	Timothy Buchholz Stevens Point, Wisconsin Tim Buchholz, with the highest evaluation from our panel of eight evaluators, is this year's winner of the Lester Axdahl Scholarship Award, which recognizes the highest achievement among the candidates evaluated in this year's AMCA Scholarship Program. This is his first AMCA Scholarship award. During his first year at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Tim was accepted into the WMU Gold Company, a sixteen-voice award-winning vocal jazz ensemble that performs throughout the country and abroad. He also performed with the 200-voice WMU Grand Chorale and the 36-voice University Chorale, which last year with Tim's help placed first in the Robert Schuman Chorale Competition in Germany. This competition was the finale to a two-week performance tour through Europe that included venues in Austria, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands, in addition to Germany. Also during his first year at WMU, Tim lent his strong tenor talents to a classical sextet and a vocal jazz quartet. Shortly after finishing his sophomore year at WMU this past spring, Tim departed on a 23-day tour singing with the Gold Company. The group performed at Alice Tully Hall and the Lincoln Center in New York City, then departed for South Africa where the ensemble was involved for more than two and a half weeks performing in concert as well as conducting music workshops throughout the country. Tim's passion for male chorus singing is best summed up in his own words, "My favorite part about Male Chorus is the camaraderie between the guys. Not only do we make great music, but also we have a fun time doing it." Tim is a member of the honors college and is pursuing his degree in vocal jazz performance with perhaps a double major to include music theory or composition. The Kalamazoo Male Chorus of the Michigan District takes pride in its sponsorship of this year's Lester Axdahl winner.
	Joseph Angelo Toronto, Ontario Baritone Joseph Angelo is in his third year of vocal studies at the University of Toronto, where he plans to complete his undergraduate work before continuing his academic music career at the graduate level. He sings with the MacMillan Singers at the U of T as well as with such ensembles as the Victoria Scholars and the Hart House Chorus. When he isn't performing vocally, he serves as organist for three churches in the Greater Toronto area. At one of these, St. Paul Basilica, he is both musical director and manager of a small choir. In addition he has served as conductor for the Cantophili Chamber Choir, an ensemble of male vocalists based in Toronto. Prior to entering U of T, Joseph was enrolled in the prestigious St. Michael's Choir School in Toronto, where he studied piano, organ, and voice. Joseph's ultimate objective is to pursue a professional career on the operatic stage. Pursuant to this career goal, this past summer he participated in Summer Opera Lyric Theatre, a Toronto-based program dedicated to instructing young singers in stagecraft. Besides attending the program's master-classes and lectures, he played the role of Leporello in a production of Mozart's Don Giovanni. In May of this year, he joined the Queensmen of Toronto, his sponsoring chorus, in their annual Springfest, a concert celebrating the spirit and optimistic sentiment of spring. In commenting on Joseph's performance, Gerry Glinski of the Queensmen stated that Joseph was "very disciplined; a sincere and personable young man. Poised and possessing a comfortable self-assurance. We admired what he was able to do with his voice."
	Gavin Bidelman Ypsilanti, Michigan Now in his second year at the University of Michigan's School of Music, Gavin Bidelman continues his passion for vocal music as a member of the University's Men's Glee Club; the GMen, an all male a cappella group; and the U of M's acclaimed Concert Choir. Concurrent with a busy schedule of singing performances, Gavin arranges music for the GMen and works part-time to help defray the expenses of college. Despite the number of activities he is involved in, he completed his freshman year with a 4.0 grade point while carrying a heavy 18-credit course load. In addition to his coursework, he worked with Master's-level composition students, premiering their original works at churches in the Lansing and Ann Arbor , Michigan, areas. Also, during this past summer, he toured the western United States with the U of M Men's Glee Club, performing in several concerts in California Arizona, and Nevada. When he completes his undergraduate work at the U of M, Gavin plans to continue in graduate school in pursuit of a doctorate in music theory and composition. His ultimate goal is to become a professor of music and teach at the university level. As he puts it so well, "Music will be my medium to communicate to the world and enable me to pass on my love for the art of music to others as it continues to grow for me." Gavin lauds the AMCA Scholarship Program and extends a sincere "Thank you for sponsoring me and enabling me to receive such a wonderful award." Gavin is sponsored by Lansing's Orpheus Male Chorus of the Michigan District.
	Gary Bozigian, Jr Redford, Michigan Gary Bozigian's love and passion for music produced their first tangible results when he was notified in 2002 of his acceptance to Michigan's renowned Interlochen Arts Camp's summer session. There he studied voice and learned the intricacies and nuances of such varied genres as Renaissance and theatrical music, as well as the Brahms Requiem. At Wayne State University, he performed at the Moses Hogan Choral Concert, in which he was selected for the solo "Give Me Jesus." He is a member of the Wayne State University Men's Glee Club and the Concert Chorale, and as a freshman last year was named as one of the two leading baritones in the music department. Upon completion of his winter semester at Wayne State University in Detroit, Gary played the lead baritone role (Top) in Aaron Copeland's The Tender Land. He has also performed in concert with the University's Men's Glee Club, sang in a Glee Club quartet, and played a supernumerary role in Die Fledermaus at the Detroit Opera House in anticipation of auditioning with the opera group this fall. In July he attended the Institute of Vocal Pedagogy and Performance, in Oberlin, Ohio, further honing his performance and vocal skills. In his own words, "I look forward to auditioning for the Associated Male Choruses of America in the future and send my deepest gratitude." Gary's sponsoring chorus is the Gentlemen Songsters of the Michigan District.
	Christina Rice Midland, Michigan For Christina Rice, this year's AMCA Scholarship represents her third consecutive award, having been recognized for the past two years for her vocal music excellence by our panel of evaluators. (2002, 2001) As a junior at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, Christina has continued her studies as a vocal music education major. She is a member of the National Society Collegiate Scholars and a continuing member and President of the American Choral Directors Association, CMU Students Chapter. This past February, she and 20 other members of the organization attended the ACDA National Convention in New York, and she is currently organizing the organization's third CMU ACDA Teaching Symposium to be held in October of 2003. In addition to singing with the CMU Concert Choir and the University Chamber Singers, Christina joined a ten-piece men's and women's a cappella group formed during the 2002-2003 school year. Working with this group has given her an opportunity to develop her composing and arranging skills and perform music that she has had a great influence in arranging. In May, of 2002 she participated in a ten-day tour of Beijing, Xian, and Shanghai, China with the University Concert Choir and the Chamber Singers. She performed with the Xian Conservatory of Music Women's Chorus. This experience made real for her the expression "music is the universal language." Christina has also been active during her summer breaks as a counselor at two summer camps working with underprivileged children in grades K-9. Working with children, she says, "is just what I want to do." She looks forward in the future to forming her own children's choir to direct at the camps. Christina is proudly sponsored by the Midland Men of Music.
	Tim Westerhaus St. Paul, Minnesota Tim Westerhaus's pursuit of music excellence and diversity is building an exemplary foundation for a career in music and has won for him his second AMCA Scholarship toward advancing his studies at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. (2002) Since his award for the 2002-2003 academic year, he has significantly broadened his musical experience by giving his first solo piano recital at the collegiate level and traveling to Ireland on a Pilgrimage Tour with the university's Liturgical Choir. On this tour, he participated with the choir in performing at six churches and cathedrals in Ireland. Upon returning to the U.S., he interned at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Minneapolis, performing musical and pastoral duties. He branched out into composing with a liturgical piece, "Voices of Hope," which was featured at the University Opening Celebration and the UST Choir's Christmas Concert. He also successfully auditioned with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and was their featured piano soloist, performing Shostakovich's Second Piano Concerto. Further expanding his musical experience, he has added the art of conducting to his skill set by completing conducting coursework at UST. Tim has completed a pilgrimage tour to Chicago with the St. Thomas Liturgical Choir and continues to compose for liturgy. His composition, "Psalm 22: I Will Praise You Lord," was recently used for worship. Following his academic career, Tim aspires to become a director of music and liturgy in a parish, where his talents would be used not only in a ministerial sense, but in the musical dimension as well, leading and teaching children's, young adult, and adult choral ensembles. It is with a great deal of pride that the Cold Spring Maennerchor of AMCA's Upper Midwest District sponsors Tim in his academic musical endeavors.