Current MIller Arts Scholars Award Recipients
Class of 2027
Naomi Diener, Dance
Rising 3rd Year Award
Delving Deeper into Screendance
I am requesting funding to support my development as a screendance maker.
Faculty Mentor: Kim Brooks Mata
Department: Dance
Faculty Mentor: Kim Brooks Mata
Department: Dance
Gwyneth Fahy, Drama
Rising 3rd Year Award
Advancing Performing Skills & Experience
With the help of the Miller Arts Scholar Program, I am requesting $3000 to aid in my performance goals and training.
Faculty Mentor: Tovah Close
Department: Drama
Faculty Mentor: Tovah Close
Department: Drama
Sophia Go, Music
Rising 3rd Year Award
Enhancing the Violin Sound Through an Intentionally Matched Bow
I propose to utilize Miller Arts Award funding to invest in an intentionally matched, higher-quality violin bow that will allow me to elevate my sound on the instrument and my playing as a whole.
Faculty Mentor: Daniel Sender
Department: Music
Faculty Mentor: Daniel Sender
Department: Music
Carson Harter, Drama
Rising 3rd Year Award
New York Summer Conservatory
I am applying for the J. Sanford Miller Family Arts Scholars Arts Award to help aid the tuition and housing expenses for my attendance at either the Stella Adler Summer Conservatory Program from June 9 to August 8 or The Barrow Group Summer Conservatory from July 7 to August 14.
Faculty Mentor: David Dalton
Department: Drama
Faculty Mentor: David Dalton
Department: Drama
Kate Hovey, Drama
Rising 3rd Year Award
Edinburgh Fringe Festival — Experiencing New Works, Solo Shows, & Experimental Theatre at an International Performing Arts Festival
I am applying with scholar Abby Milne for a combined $6,000 to travel in August to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland.
Faculty Mentor: David Dalton
Department: Drama
Faculty Mentor: David Dalton
Department: Drama
Alicia Kesting-Kim, Drama
Immersing in Contemporary Dance: A Journey to Copenhagen’s Dance Scene
I am requesting $3,000 from the Miller Arts Scholars Arts Award to support my study abroad experience in Copenhagen, Denmark, during the spring semester of 2026.
Faculty Mentor: Kim Brooks Mata
Department: Dance
Faculty Mentor: Kim Brooks Mata
Department: Dance
Georgina Stewart, Drama
Rising 3rd Year Award
Advancing My Skills: Summer Intensive Acting Training
I am requesting funding of $3000 from the Miller Arts Scholars program to support my participation in a Summer Intensive acting program.
Faculty Mentor: David Dalton
Department: Drama
Faculty Mentor: David Dalton
Department: Drama
Class of 2026
Henry Boland, Music
Rising 3rd Year Award
Self-Produced Pop E.P.
I will write, record, and produce a pop E.P. (a collection of 4-6 pop songs) and release it on all streaming services in January 2025. The primary focus of this project will be to further develop my skills as a producer, which include curating unique sonic palettes, creating impactful mixes, recording live instrumentation, and optimizing my workflow. Additionally, I want to elevate my songwriting by incorporating jazz vocabulary into my chord progressions and melodies and writing lyrics that present authentic narratives. I am requesting funding for equipment that will enhance my ability to make songs from home.
Faculty Mentor: Michael Rasbury
Department: Drama
Faculty Mentor: Michael Rasbury
Department: Drama
Henry Boland, Music
Rising 4th Year Award
Self-Produced Pop Album
I plan to write, record, and produce a pop album, and release it on all streaming platforms in Spring 2026. Additionally, I’ll be traveling to Nashville, Tennessee, to network and meet with professionals in the music industry. The two main goals of this project are: 1) to refine my songwriting and composition skills, and 2) to gain insight into the realities of pursuing music professionally. I am requesting $3,000 to cover living expenses in Nashville and purchase a new electric guitar.
Faculty Mentor: Ted Coffey
Department: Music
Faculty Mentor: Ted Coffey
Department: Music
Abby Milne, Drama
Rising 4th Year Award
Edinburgh Fringe Festival — Experiencing New Works, Solo Shows, & Experimental Theatre at an International Performing Arts Festival
I am applying for a combined budget of $6000 with second-year Drama Scholar Kate Hovey for a roughly week-long visit to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland in early August 2025.
Faculty Mentor: David Dalton
Department: Drama
Faculty Mentor: David Dalton
Department: Drama
Maxwell Mitchell, Music
Rising 4th Year Award
Los Angeles Music Production Studio Internship
"I will go to Los Angeles for two months this summer to complete an internship with the production studio The Monsters & Strangerz."
Faculty Mentor: Ted Coffey
Department: Music
Faculty Mentor: Ted Coffey
Department: Music
Elizabeth Moore, Dance
Rising 4th Year Award
Grant to Fund a Solo Choreographed by a Guest Choreographer
I am requesting funding to bring in a guest choreographer to create a solo for me during my fourth year of study. This solo will serve as a culmination of my training at UVA and will be performed in the UVA Department of Dance’s Spring Concert.
Faculty Mentor: Katie Schetlick
Department: Dance
Faculty Mentor: Katie Schetlick
Department: Dance
Kailash Patel, Music
Rising 3rd Year Award
An Exploration of Musical Styles Through Composition
An opportunity to explore the framework of different types of music from a theory standpoint will be quite beneficial for my growth as a musician. I plan to collaborate with Professor Daniel Sender, employing his guidance and expertise to achieve my desired product. In order to complete my project, I am applying for a grant to allow me to purchase resources such as composition tools, recording and processing equipment, instruments, and services to present my work to the desired audience. I am requesting an arts award of $3000 to meet my goal.
Faculty Mentor: Daniel Sender
Department: Music
Faculty Mentor: Daniel Sender
Department: Music
Lucas Piette, Studio Art
Rising 3rd Year Award
Shooting Analog: 16mm and 8mm Motion Picture Film
I am requesting a total of $3,000 to be used for the purchase of both a 16mm and 8mm (Super 8) film camera to use as I progress through the cinematography concentration of my studio art major at UVA.
Faculty Mentor: Kevin Everson
Department: Studio Art
Faculty Mentor: Kevin Everson
Department: Studio Art
Lucas Piette, Studio Art
Rising 4th Year Award
Documenting the Legacy and Revival of the Washington Society
I am requesting $3,000 from to purchase my own on-the-go filmmaking kit and to aid in travel costs in order to create a historical documentary of the Washington Literary Society and Debating Union, or more affectionately known as “the Wash”.
Faculty Mentor: Kevin Everson
Department: Studio Art
Faculty Mentor: Kevin Everson
Department: Studio Art
Reese Robers, Studio Art
Rising 3rd Year Award
UVA Community Zine Series and Public Video-Zine Screening
I am requesting funds to create and distribute a series of short zines that will be based on community submissions of all forms of art and later converted into a video zine, where the submissions will be incorporated into a video presentation to be screened at a public community event at which the paper zines will also be distributed. With this funding, I will be able to 1) travel to New York City for two days and attend the East Village Zine Fair, where I can learn about and engage with a well-established zine-making community and further develop my project ideas before bringing them to Grounds, 2) afford the materials to physically produce the paper copies of the zines, and 3) have access to video programs and production equipment that will allow me to create a cohesive, stylized, and high-quality presentation of a video version of that zine, which will be screened at a public event for the contributing artists and community members to enjoy and find pride and appreciation for the culmination of their work.
Faculty Mentor: Mona Kasra
Department: Drama, Studio Art
Faculty Mentor: Mona Kasra
Department: Drama, Studio Art
Reese Robers, Studio Art
Rising 4th Year Award
Producing a Comedy Movie-Musical: The Dancin’ Business
I am requesting $3000 through the 4th-year Miller Arts Awards to fund the production of an original 30-minute comedy movie-musical entitled The Dancin’ Business.
Faculty Mentor: Mona Kasra
Department: Drama
Faculty Mentor: Mona Kasra
Department: Drama
Xander Tilock, Drama
Rising 4th Year Award
Directing a Musical
I am requesting financial support to pay for the licensing rights and small technical needs to support the production.
Faculty Mentor: David Dalton
Department: Drama
Faculty Mentor: David Dalton
Department: Drama
Lilla Woodard, Drama
Rising 3rd Year Award
A Summer of American Theater
I am requesting a total of $2,662 to fund tickets to theater performances in the Washington DC and New York City area, as well as offset the costs of traveling and staying in New York City.
Faculty Mentor: David Dalton
Department: Drama
Faculty Mentor: David Dalton
Department: Drama