A pair of extraordinary student musicians have been selected as first-year recipients of the Arizona Musicfest College Scholarship, earning up to $10,000 for their undergraduate studies in music.

Leo Kubota, cellist (Tempe), and Sharon Hui, pianist (Mesa), were chosen from an exciting and talented group of applicants for their artistic excellence, musical and academic achievement, dedication to their craft, and involvement in their communities. 

A jury comprised of professional musicians, educators, and arts administrators from around the Valley reviewed student applications and performance video submissions, and were enthusiastic in their selection of Leo and Sharon.  

Previous awardees of the scholarship program have attended prestigious universities and conservatories including The Juilliard School, New England Conservatory, Eastman School of Music, Curtis Institute of Music, and Cleveland Institute of Music.

Arizona Musicfest is proud to support both musicians as they begin their college educations. Beginning in the Fall, Mr. Kubota will attend Yale University, while Ms. Hui will begin her studies at The University of Colorado - Boulder. 

With our newest set of scholarships, the Arizona Musicfest Scholarship Program will have awarded over $130,000 to Arizona students pursuing college degrees in music. This upcoming school year, Musicfest is proud to sponsor eight exceptional students as they continue their studies around the country.  

About Arizona Musicfest:

Arizona Musicfest celebrated its 30th anniversary with the 2020-21 season.  Based in North Scottsdale, Arizona Musicfest produces an annual concert season, as well as education, youth performance and lifelong learning programs.

Arizona Musicfest regularly attracts over 30,000 patrons to its concert season.  Recent guest artists have included Michael Bolton, Neil Sedaka, Vanessa Williams, Chris Botti, Michael Feinstein, Herb Alpert, Tony Danza, Pink Martini, violinists Joshua Bell, Gil Shaham, and Midori, Broadway legends Chita Rivera, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Tommy Tune, Country stars Wynonna Judd, Sara Evans, and Rosanne Cash, jazz greats Al Jarreau, The Manhattan Transfer, The Count Basie Orchestra, folk luminaries Judy Collins and Peter Yarrow, and blues legend Mavis Staples.

Each concert season also features the Musicfest Festival Orchestra, comprised of musicians from the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Boston Symphony, National Symphony, the Metropolitan Opera, and other leading orchestras of America.

Musicfest’s education programs provided—at no charge—to area schools include Musicfest Strings, Musicfest Mariachi, Musicfest Winds, Musicfest Strummers, Music & Sound/Found & Around, Musicfest Jazz, and The Music of Arizona—the organization’s signature multicultural program.

Musicfest’s Young Musicians Competitions, Young Musicians Performance Series, and the Musicfest College Scholarship Program serve the finest young musicians of the Valley, while Music Alive!, a unique lifelong learning and creative aging series, features dynamic programs for our community’s older adults.