For the past 30 years, Calusa Musicale has been honoring the memory of co-fuonder Clara Blood by awarding scholarships to talented young musicians. More than $40,000 has been given since the inception of the program. Scholarships for both high school adn middle school students are awarded annually in piano, voice, strings and winds. In the high school division, first place scholarships are awarded in the amount of $300, second place in the amount of $150. For the middle school division, first place scholarships are $200, second place are $100.
Advertisement Opportunity! Ads are being solicited to benefit the scholarships and for one price, they will appear in two program booklets: The Scholarship Benefit Concert and The Cavalcade of Youth. A real bargain!
Checks should be made out to Calusa Musicale and sent along with the ad to David Jozaities: 201 S.E. 44th Street, Cape Coral, FL 33904.
Betty Turon Award
In 2005, the Betty Turon Award was inaugurated, this being a "Best Performance" award. The panel of scholarship audition judges make this selection, and a $300 scholarship is rewarded. Calusa Musicale stands firm in its commitment to support and encourage the youth of Southwest Flroida to strive for excellence in music by continuing the grand tradition of the Clara Blood Scholarship.
Eleanor Morgan Scholarship
In 2004, the Executive Board of Calusa Musicale felt strongly that we needed to honor co-founder Eleanor Morgan by establishing a scholarship in her name. This scholarship is awarded annually to a deserving student at Edison College in Fort Myers. Rebecca Ascol was our first recipient, chosen during the 2005-06 school year. An endowment of $10,000 was established through the Edison College Foundation. $5,000 given by Calusa Musicale and $5,000 matched by the state of Florida, which will allow this scholarship to be awarded through the Foundation for years to come.
