Music Awards

Student Performance Awards

The Music Department offers several competitive awards that cover the cost of private lesson tuition (voice or instrument) with one of our talented music teachers.  The available awards (described below) are: The Fordham Music Alumni Award, The James Boyce Award, The Edythe Sheehan Dineen Award, The Frank Patterson Memorial Award, The Frank Buckhout McShane Memorial Music Award, and the Orchestra Awards.

Eligibility

• Awards are made on the basis of competitive auditions held annually in the spring semester in early March.  Contact Angela Michalski for more information - [email protected].
• To audition, a student must be enrolled at Fordham as a current undergraduate at the time of audition.
• To hold the award, a student must be enrolled at Fordham as a current undergraduate during the lesson term; lessons must be taken in the academic year following the audition.
• Only lessons taken through Fordham's music program are eligible for award monies.
• Students may audition in multiple years.

For specific terms of each award, see below.

The Fordham Music Alumni Award
Funded by the generous donations of our music alumni, the Fordham Music Alumni Award covers the cost of lessons for one semester.  Music majors and minors at both Lincoln Center and Rose Hill are eligible for this award.

---

The James Boyce Award
Established in memory of Rev. James Boyce, O.Carm (1949-2010), a member of the Carmelite Order, an accomplished scholar, pianist and Professor of Music at Fordham University. The Boyce Award is granted to Rose Hill students, and covers the cost of lessons for one semester.  Preference is given to music majors and minors.

---

The Edythe Sheehan Dineen Award
Established in memory of Edythe Sheehan Dineen, Dineen awards are granted to Lincoln Center students, and cover the cost of lessons for one semester.  Preference is given to music majors and minors.

---

The Frank Patterson Memorial Scholarship
Established in memory of the internationally renowned Irish tenor Frank Patterson, this award covers the cost of private lessons, and in some cases may be renewed for mulitple semesters.  Eligibility is restricted to music majors.

---

The Frank Buckhout McShane Memorial Music Award
Originally established at the former Marymount College of Fordham University, this award is granted to Rose Hill women, and covers the cost of private lessons for one semester.

---

Orchestra Awards
Additional stipends are offered to cover the cost of private lessons for one semester, on the basis of annual competition, to students who participate in the Rose Hill Orchestra, the Lincoln Center Chamber Orchestra, and the Jazz Orchestra.  For more information, contact Dr. Andy Bhasin, Director of Orchestral Ensembles ([email protected]).

---

Student Academic Awards

The James L. Kurtz Award in Music, named for the first professor of music in the department, is given to a graduating music major who has shown excellence in course work and a significant involvement in the activities of the department and the musical life of the University.

The James L. Kurtz Award in Music has been awarded to:

• 2025 Madison Gakopoulos, FCRH 2025; Erin Seidman FCRH 2025
• 2023 Jacqueline Mutkoski, FCRH 2023; Miguel Sutedjo FCRH 2023
• 2022 Elizabeth Galbo, FCRH 2022
• 2021 Chiara Giammatteo, FCRH 2021; Kristina Lasdauskas FCRH 2021
• 2020 Auden Dykes, FCRH 2020; James Ordway, FCRH 2020
• 2019 Yohannah Franco-Choi, FCRH 2019; Sarah Maher, FCRH 2019
• 2018 Melanie Shahin, FCRH 2018
• 2017 Brendan Caulfield, FCRH 2017; Katherine Sadaniantz, FCRH 2017
• 2016 Samuel Farnum, FCRH 2016
• 2015 Katherine Delaney, FCRH 2015
• 2014 Mark Dumond, FCRH 2014; Dan Gibney, FCRH 2014
• 2013 Karina Daza, FCRH 2013
• 2012 Alycia Kravitz, FCRH 2012
• 2010 Douglas Giombarrese, FCRH 2010