Previous McKinnon Artist Minigrants

The assistance of this Miller Arts Scholars Minigrant would further enhance my work and skills as a composer and producer by broadening my sound and compositional techniques.

Over the past three years that we’ve been at UVA, Elise Ebert and I have been studying and performing solo repertoire with Professor Pamela Beasley. We both share a passion for classic art songs, and our vocal studies have been on a very similar trajectory since the beginning. We have independently worked on our tone, diction, performance, and timbre with Professor Beasley, and have performed at multiple solo recitals. Because of our similar repertoire and styles, as well as being good friends, Elise and I would love to work together to perform a joint third-year recital at the end of this semester.

I researched current music software and consulted with faculty mentors to identify the software in this request that is capable of producing professional sounding music while providing the highest return on investment.

To continue my improvement in learning the viola, I am requesting a minigrant to buy a better quality bow, which will in turn enhance my playing.

My goal for my study abroad is to hone my skill in classical voice. In Vienna, I will be completely immersed in opera, using not only my classes in theory, performance, history, and composition to become a better musician, but also taking advantage of the city around me. Today, Vienna is colloquially known as “the capital of classical music”

I have decided I would like to perform Johann Sebastian Bach’s Cello Suite No. 4, Johannes Brahms’ Viola Sonata No. 2 in E flat major, Ludwig Van Beethoven’s “Eyeglass Duet” with fellow music scholar, Chris Fox, and Karel Husa’s Suite for Viola and Piano Op. 5.

I am applying for a minigrant towards the funding of professional sheet music editions for upcoming recitals. I am currently preparing for two of the most important performances I will give at UVA: a quartet recital in February, with fellow Arts Scholar Britney Cheung and two other musicians, as well as my DMP recital in April.

During the spring semester abroad, I would like to use this fund to purchase 1) a Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra ticket, 2) a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra ticket, and 3) transportation to and from these areas.

I would like to submit a grant proposal to request funds to purchase a portable keyboard. This would allow me to create demos of songs much more easily and of much higher quality.

I am proposing a self-guided arts experience to supplement my musical education while studying abroad in one of the historical and modern centers of musical and artistic history.

I have seen a dramatic improvement in myself as a musician overall while continuing my studies in viola here at UVA. Studying with Professor Ayn Balija over the past year and a half has greatly enhanced my technical abilities and has consistently pushed me to become a better chamber musician, orchestra member, and solo performer.

With the funding of a new, lighter-weight case, I will be able to transport my viola with more ease without compromising protection and durability. Additionally, the extra equipment such as the bows and shoulder rest will be able to be stored properly without interference from the case itself. A new case would significantly assist in my day-to-day participation in various music activities around Grounds while also ensuring I have healthier posture with less physical tension. I have struggled in the past and continue to work on relaxing while playing and decreasing tension in order to enhance my sound and tone. I have learned during my private study that relaxation and bodily comfort play a large role in creating a fuller and more robust sound. While this is a long-term project and goal, I hope to consistently cultivate and enhance my tone through physical relaxation and decreasing as much tension as possible while playing.

In February of 2022 the Flute Society of Washington will hold the Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention, which consists of two days of masterclasses, concerts, and competitions involving people across a seven state region. I am interested in attending the convention and applying to some of the competitions. I am primarily interested in the Collegiate Soloist Competition and the Guest Artist Masterclass Performers competition. Thus, I would like to request a mini grant to fund the competition application fees, the fees to hire an accompanist, and funds for the equipment to make a high quality audition recording.

I intend to create my entire album by the end of 2022 (one year from now), and am very confident that with this equipment I will certainly be able to do so. With the MicroFreak I will be able to exponentially expand the boundaries of what is possible for me as a producer given the synthesis capabilities of the machine. With the virtual granular effect Portal plugin I will be able to create new effects for my sounds and curate a unique sound of my own through novel production techniques that Portal would enable me. This is particularly important for me, as Logic (my current DAW of choice) does not have a good granular synthesis plugin.

In order to best prepare me for a career in music, one of the most important things I can be doing right now is talking to and learning from a variety of professionals already in the field to get different perspectives on how to best improve my playing and my craft. In order to do this, I am hoping to use MAS funds to take lessons with a variety of musicians this winter break.

I am hoping to use this grant to finance my auditions, including application fees and other expenses such as hiring a videographer, for a number of summer festivals on the viola. Preparing for these auditions requires a level of focus and dedication that will be in itself extremely beneficial to the development of my confidence in playing the viola, as my primary instrument is the violin. The high-quality application materials I would be able to produce with the help of this mini-grant would allow me to present the best audition possible and increase my chances of being selected to attend one of these programs, which would further help me develop my skills as a violist.

I will work closely with vocal jazz instructor Stephanie Nakasian to prepare my voice and scatting skills and with graduate student Rami Stucky to create arrangements of jazz standards to perform on the recording. I will then go into the studio within a month to record at Virginia Arts Recording. During this time, I will create a website through Squarespace that will contain pictures and videos of previous gigs, a biography, and future gigs.

I plan to organize and execute a female musician/artist showcase in conjunction with Sheville, a socially conscious organization born from HackCville’s platform that aims to raise awareness and funds for women’s health and counseling resources in Charlottesville. The event will take place at the Ante Room (219 Water St. W) off the downtown mall on Friday, December 1st. The goal of the event will be to provide a show and outlet for female performers in UVA and Charlottesville, as well as to raise awareness and funds for female-oriented organizations. To maintain this goal, the proceeds of the event will go to benefit the Women’s Initiative of Charlottesville and the Shelter for Help in Emergency (SHE), which will define this event as a non-profit benefit.

As photographers might make a photo album of their work, I hope to create an audio album of my life, focusing on my time at the University of Virginia, where my love for music blossomed and has grown exponentially ever since. My passions in music lie in performance, compositions, and production. With my engineering degree, I plan on pursuing sound engineering and music production. This project will allow me to create an album as a showcase of what I have learned so far at UVA and a celebration of the relationships and love that I have formed. My Miscellaneous Tape will be the intersection of all the angles of my passions for music and a journey to find out more about myself and the world.