Annual Department Awards

The Department annually awards a select group of dedicated student musicians with stipends to help support their musical pursuits. Granted each spring, these prizes provide an opportunity for the entire University music community to recognize its most distinguished students’ accomplishments.

Cathy Heifetz Memorial Award
This award’s first endowment created an annual award to honor a student in the Department whose associations as a member of this community have been singularly marked by a spirit of caring and helpfulness. Students are invited to submit nominations, from which the faculty selects the honoree. In 1977, the first recipient to be so honored was Jennifer Willard. In 2008, the Department of Music presented the 32nd annual Cathy Heifetz Memorial Award to Ieda Bispo.

The David L. Fulton Prize for Orchestral Excellence
Established in 1998, this prize is presented to the outstanding undergraduate or graduate student stringed-instrument player(s) in the University Symphony Orchestra.  It is awarded each year to a University of Chicago student who has been a member of the University Symphony for at least one full season, and who has consistently demonstrated the highest level of musical accomplishment on his/her instrument, as well as extraordinary commitment to the Orchestra, during that tenure. The recipients of the 2008 award were Tiffany Choong, Molly Hales, and Alyssa Mathias.

The Ellis Bonoff Kohs Award for Orchestral Excellence
Established in 2003, this award is presented to the outstanding undergraduate or graduate student in the University Symphony Orchestra who is a member of the woodwind, brass, or percussion section. It is awarded each year to a University of Chicago student who has been a member of the University Symphony for at least one full season, and who has consistently demonstrated the highest level of musical accomplishment on his/her instrument, as well as extraordinary commitment to the Orchestra, during that tenure.The recipients of the 2008 award were Elise Berman (clarinet) and Daniel Boutwell (bassoon).

Awards for Choral Excellence
These special prizes are awarded each year to University of Chicago students who have been members of one or more of the choral ensembles for at least two full seasons. The purpose of the awards are twofold: first, to recognize outstanding leadership and dedication to a particular ensemble and, second, to recognize outstanding vocal talent. The recipients of these awards should demonstrate both of these traits, and are encouraged to use the award to further their pursuit of choral and vocal opportunities. The recipients of the 2008 award were Christine Buras and Anne Heminger.

Graduate Awards and Fellowships

Lowell C. Wadmond Awards
The Lowell C. Wadmond awards are given annually in the spring to graduate students and undergraduates for special research projects, to attend composition premieres or festivals, or to take special courses, all of which generally involve travel. Approximately ten awards are given annually.

Visit the Humanities Division website for more information on graduate awards and fellowships.