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SANTA BARBARA, California – The Performing Arts Scholarship Foundation, a nonprofit that supports classical music education and career development for Santa Barbara Area students, has added a new Junior Vocal Division to its signature annual competition.
The announcement came during a cocktail party and musical presentation hosted Oct. 4 at the home of PASF board members Noel Lucky and Jeff Ris. Leaders of the organization also unveiled the nonprofit’s latest impact report, which shows that PASF has awarded $915,000 in scholarships and grants since 2003 and that its educational grants reach thousands of students annually.
“We are immensely proud of all that our foundation has achieved to further music education and to nurture the next generation of outstanding musicians in our county,” said PASF President Deborah Bertling. “We are also so grateful to all of our donors and supporters who make this important work possible, and to the many students whose hard work and dedication to the musical craft inspire us every day.”
The new Junior Vocal Division will allow vocalists aged 13-17 to compete for music scholarships in the annual PASF competition. An additional $6,000 in scholarship funds will be made available to support this effort. The idea for the initiative emerged from a symposium with leading arts educators in February. Other competition divisions are Adult Instrumental, Junior Instrumental and Adult Vocal. Students can use the scholarship funds for music lessons, tuition, summer programs, or instrument improvement.
In addition to the annual contest, PASF awards around $50,000-$60,000 a year to music education programs, including the Santa Barbara Education Foundation, Opera Santa Barbara, and the Santa Barbara Youth Symphony. These grants have funded after-school lessons, summer music camps, and outreach programs that introduce young students to the performing arts, helping keep the arts alive and accessible for all.
Founded in 1982 by the late Sylvia Dellar, PASF provides financial aid to deserving vocal and instrumental students with professional performance potential. Since its inception, the foundation has helped hundreds of students reach their performing arts through scholarships and awards that support education and career development.
For more information or to donate to PASF, visit pasfsb.org.