2019 Scholarship Winners

Each year the West Hartford Women’s Chorale awards a scholarship to a deserving student in Greater Hartford. We look for students who have been active participants in their high school music program throughout their time in school, and who plan to continue with music in some capacity in college. 2019 was an exception as we had two candidates we wanted to support.

Jason Hoopes

Jason, a senior at Hall High, was chosen as the 2019 scholarship recipient among strong competition. Jason is the jazz pianist for the Hall High Jazz Band, Jazz Combo and Concert Band. The committee was especially impressed with the breadth of his talent in academics and other extracurricular activities, as well as his accomplishments in music. It was clear from his recommendations that Jason is a truly exceptional individual, scholar and musician. He is described by his music director as “an incredibly gifted musician and composer/improviser who works hard to be well-balanced in his co-curricular and extra-curricular activities…. Jason represents the top 1% of students I’ve come across in the entirety of my career.”

Jason will attend Northeastern University in the fall and plans to major in computer science and music composition and technology. He will continue his involvement with music through the excellent Northeastern program as well as the Boston music scene. We are pleased to offer Jason a $1000 scholarship to support his pursuits.

Clare Porter

Clare impressed us with her passion for music. Although she was recruited for basketball to Miss Porter’s school, her heart drew her to music and she made the brave move to leave basketball after sophomore year. In her words, “Basketball was the brain freeze life dealt me; music was the cure to my headache.” Her essay really moved us.

Although we had chosen our scholarship recipient among an exceptional group of applicants, we had all been duly impressed with Clare, a singer and composer, who plays piano and guitar. Her music director shares this: “Clare’s lyrics are habitually powerful and induce chills even before one has heard them set to her music. What sets Clare apart is her balance of intellectual curiosity, humility and singular focus. She routinely collaborates with other songwriters and performers, lending her ideas and stunning voice freely and eagerly.”

We are pleased to offer Clare Porter, who will be attending the College of Holy Cross, our scholarship runner-up, a $500 scholarship to support her future in music.