WHWC Scholarship Program
The mission of the West Hartford Women’s Chorale is to enrich the cultural life of the community by performing a broad repertoire of vocal music and to provide music and music education for the benefit of the community. In keeping with this mission, the chorale seeks to support young vocalists and musicians who have demonstrated a commitment to music with a scholarship to be put toward their future education. We hope that these scholarships will help support students with their dreams for the future.
The West Hartford Women’s Chorale awards annual scholarships to outstanding high school students who demonstrate exceptional talent and dedication to their musical and academic pursuits. The recipients are chosen from a highly competitive pool of applicants in the Greater Hartford Region and the scholarships aim to support their future educational and artistic endeavors. This year marks the WHWC’s 17th year of awarding student musician scholarships.
2026 Scholarship Winners Announced
For 17 years, the West Hartford Women’s Chorale has proudly supported scholarships for student musicians pursuing their musical studies. This year their scholarship committee has selected two recipients to receive $1,500 and $1,000 scholarships from an exceptionally talented group of applicants drawn from the Greater Hartford Area.
2026 Scholarship Winners:
Acadia Joshi Staples + Rushil Jog
Acadia Joshi Staples has balanced a challenging academic program at Manchester High School with her music studies. In addition to playing the French Horn, she has pursued numerous diverse outside volunteer activities and prestigious outside-of- school music ensembles.
Meghan Clough, Manchester Public Schools K-12 Music Coordinator, said this about Acadia in her recommendation: Acadia is "one of the brightest, highest-achieving students in our school, and is also one of the most talented and hard-working musicians in our department.”
In describing her love of music, Acadia says, "Playing an instrument has taught me a lot of discipline. I understand the amount of work, practice, and patience it takes to achieve progress. One of the most widely applicable skills I have learned from music is listening to others. Listening is as important as playing, … I have to listen and adjust and react to what's happening around me so that I can best fit in and best support the group with which I am playing. I consider myself to be extremely lucky that I have a love for music and that I share that love with so many other musicians around me."
Acadia’s talent and work ethic, and her generous spirit in giving back to her fellow students and the community impressed us. She is interested in exploring a career path in Music Therapy. She will be attending Skidmore College in the fall.
Rushil Jog, from Rocky Hill High School, has also balanced his dedication to music while excelling in a challenging academic program. A talented saxophonist who also plays the flute and woodwinds, he is a member of the marching, symphonic, pep and jazz bands. Besides holding leadership positions in the marching band and woodwind section, he has composed and arranged several musical pieces that have been performed.
Jim Shuman, Rocky Hill Public Schools Band Director, had this to say about Rushil: "I cannot think of a student in my 20-year career that has been at such a high level of musicianship and work ethic as Rushil ... He demonstrates a high level of achievement and a superior work ethic that is contagious. He is a self-starter, who is motivated by new challenges and dedicated to excellence in all environments he is a part of."
Rushil states, “I am able to express feelings and ideas in unique ways through my music, bringing me immense fulfillment. It is so rewarding to be able to truly express myself as a person through the work I create." "We need people to make music with us, and we need people present to consume our art. After hearing this interpretation of music, I realize that the social aspect of music is what I have had enjoyed all along- my reason for performing music."
Rushil's achievements, motivation, dependability, and commitment to music are evident. He intends to major in music composition. He will be attending UCONN and majoring in Music Composite and Economics.
The WHWC strives to support music education in the community through performances, collaborations, and annual scholarships. Thank you to our generous Giving Tuesday donors who made these scholarships possible. Many thanks to Sheila Nussbaum, Jane Comerford and the WHWC scholarship committee for their efforts in selecting these young musicians on their way to bringing music into the future!