Eleven finalists to compete at 2024 Performing Arts Scholarship Foundation contest

Eleven instrumentalists and vocalists will compete for thousands of dollars in scholarships on April 28 after being selected as finalists for the annual Performing Arts Scholarship Foundation’s Competition Concert.

The foundation’s Audition Committee selected the finalists during auditions held April 5 and 6 at Music Academy of the West’s Weinmann Hall in Montecito. A total of 24 adults and youth competed to earn a place in the final competition.

The final concert will be held on Sunday, April 28, at 3:00pm, also at Music Academy of the West. The event is free and open to the public, but reservations are encouraged due to limited seating.

Established in 1982, the Performing Arts Scholarship Foundation (PASF) provides financial aid to deserving vocal and instrumental students in Santa Barbara County. The annual competition encourages young musicians to strive for excellence and supports them in their growth as performers. Finalists compete for scholarships amounting to more than $27,000.

This year’s finalists for adult instrumentalists are Cam Audras, 25, a viola player studying for a Master of Music in Viola Performance at UCSB (teacher Valerie Malvinni); Noelle Hadsall, 15, a pianist and PASF 2021 junior instrumental division winner who attends Dos Pueblos High School (teacher Pascal Salomon); and Tiffany Yin, 23, a pianist studying for a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance at UCSB (teacher Dr. Charles Asche).

Junior instrumentalist finalists include three Dos Pueblos High School students: Leon Guo, 15, piano (teacher Lana Bodnar); Jiyoo Kim-Jung, 15, piano (teacher Miroslava Kisilevitch); and Joey Malvinni, 16, guitar (teacher Dr. David Malvinni). Other finalists are Matvey Ioffe, 15, a pianist and student of Maestro Jacobo Giacopuzzi, and Henry Woodruff, 16, a viola player attending Colburn School (teacher Teng Li).

Vocal division finalists are Lorenzo Johnson, Jr., 27, a tenor studying for a Doctor of Musical Arts in Voice Performance at UCSB (teacher Benjamin Brecher); Ava Kimmel, 22, a soprano at Westmont College (teacher Christina Ramsay); and Zeni Tziouvaras, 28, a mezzo-soprano and graduate of the Manhattan School of Music (teachers Agatha Carubia and James Platt).

Several students not included in the final round received Encouragement Awards totaling $2,000. This year’s audition committee members were Deborah Bertling, Erin Bonski-Evans, Neil DiMaggio, and Kristine Pacheco-Bernt.

To reserve your seat for the Competition Concert on April 28, please contact Deborah Bertling at pasfsb@pasfsb.org or by calling 805-898-0941.

— For more information about PASF, visit pasfsb.org.