Scholarship Sketches

Student Conductor Workshop participants: 

(L-R) Dr. Jo Ann Miller (NDSU, guest clinician), Ava Larson (UM – Duluth), Martin Henke (Concordia College), John Lahlum (Minnesota State University), Max Everett (Gustavus Adolphus College), Samuel Nelson (UM – Duluth), Rand Mathison (St. Olaf College), Kaia Ruliffson (University of St. Thomas), Sebastian Vongphakdy (St Cloud State), Riley Abbott (UM – Twin Cities), and Lin Warren and Brian Schmidt from Gateway Travel.

Not pictured: Maxwell Everett (Gustavus Adolphus College), Marie-Florence Johnson (University of Northwestern) 

Riley Abbott – I would like to share my sincere gratitude to Gateway Travel and the FMC Endowment Committee for your generosity. It was an honor to be one of the Minnesota Collegiate Student Conductors and to participate in and experience the entire ACDA-MN Summer Dialogue. What an incredible opportunity! What joy and community I experienced. What love and support I was shown. What passion for music, teaching, and conducting I witnessed. It was a privilege to be a part of the conducting workshop and learn from Dr. JoAnn Miller and peers. The entire Summer Dialogue experience was a great opportunity, as a student, to get to meet educators, conductors, musicians, and people from all walks of life but yet who all shared the same mission, goals, commitments, and joys. I wish you all to know that your generosity and time do not go unnoticed. Your gift is what supports and inspires future educators, conductors, musicians, and people. 

Martin Schmidt – Thank you to FMC Endowment Fund and Gateway Travel for the incredible opportunity to get to spend time in Moorhead with choral musicians from all around the state! Going to Summer Dialogue allowed me to connect with the other student conductors as well as directors from around the state and from tons of different programs. I was especially lucky to meet future colleagues from the Southeast district during sessions and at the district lunch. I was able to take something new from each session to bring back to Winona State, and one day, future students. I’ll continue to be at Winona State University this fall, singing in ensembles under the wonderful care of Dr. Colleen Chester. Thanks again for the incredible generosity and support of the FMC fund and Gateway, and hope to see you next summer!