By VICTORIA MURRAY BRAND

In recent months The Juilliard School has been the beneficiary of several generous bequests to its scholarship fund. The late Janet and Leonard Kramer, longtime members of the Juilliard Association and present for many a season in Juilliard's audience, made generous provision in their estate planning for the School. The estate of Janet Kramer has provided an endowed doctoral stipend fund, as well as underwriting for other projects at Juilliard. Another magnanimous friend, bandleader Lester Lanin, made a major bequest to Juilliard, endowing the Lester Lanin Scholarship, which will be awarded first to students with physical handicaps or learning disabilities, and then to any others with financial need. The Ruth F. Meyers Weinberg Scholarship, for voice students, has been endowed by the estate of Ruth F. Weinberg. Two additional endowed awards for doctoral students, the Ralph and Crescentia Bell Scholarship and the Marga and Arthur King Scholarship, also came through bequests, as did the Sibylle Bott Gaynor Scholarship, an award for music students. The Mack Harrell Scholarship was endowed with funds from the estate of Richard G. Chapline (B.S. '51, M.S. '52, voice). Mack Harrell, who attended Juilliard in the 1930s, was Chapline's teacher, and father of cellist Lynn Harrell, who attended the Pre-College Division at Juilliard.

The Elton John Music Scholarship (established in July 2004) has company now in Juilliard's scholarship resources with awards contributed by two well-known performing artists. The Rolling Stones launched their 2006 world concert tour from Juilliard's balcony overlooking Lincoln Center last May—and established the Rolling Stones Scholarship at Juilliard, where a music student will receive the award for four years of undergraduate study. This year Billy Joel contributed generously to the Music Advancement Program (MAP) at Juilliard, establishing the Billy Joel Young Artist program. Over the next two years 72 young MAP students will receive scholarship assistance in Joel's name.

Juilliard received a major new scholarship when the one-billionth song was downloaded on iTunes in February. The scholarship, to be awarded to one student for four years, is known as The Alex Ostrovsky Scholarship, made possible by iTunes. Ostrovsky, a teenager from West Bloomfield, Mich., who was the lucky downloader, won numerous prizes from Apple/iTunes, as well as the honor of having a scholarship named for him at Juilliard. Aiming for promotional as well as philanthropic impact, iTunes created the scholarship to help a future performing and recording artist afford his or her studies at Juilliard.

The Dorothy and Jeanette Winter Scholarship, an endowed award for music students, was established by sisters who live near Lincoln Center, and attend Juilliard concerts and recitals as often as possible. The George L. Shields Memorial Scholarship was endowed by the George L. Shields Foundation, with the generous inspiration of pianist Ann Schein Carlyss. The Louis Shatanoff Scholarship, endowed by Juilliard friends Joseph and Betty Keller in 1992, has been enriched with a gift from the Keller-Shatanoff Foundation. The Avedis Zildjian Company, which has supported an annual percussion scholarship at Juilliard since 1996, has recently endowed the award, known as the Avedis Zildjian Percussion Scholarship.

In celebration of Juilliard's centennial, Montblanc established the Montblanc Scholarship at the School, and Blavin & Company established the Dan and Cynthia Lufkin Scholarship, honoring the co-chairpersons of Juilliard's centennial gala. The DeWitt Stern Group Scholarship and AXA Art Insurance Corporation Scholarship each provides full tuition to a student for three years in the Pre-College Division at Juilliard. The Pre-College Division Parents' Association added significant funds to the endowed Pre-College Parents' Association Scholarship, with a successful gala concert last December. The Panasonic Corporation inaugurated the Panasonic Harmony Scholarship to support a vocal arts student, who also has the opportunity to perform in an annual concert with the New York Symphonic Ensemble. The Fundación Luis A. Ferré, named for a distinguished former governor of Puerto Rico, established the Luis A. Ferré Scholarship, an award for Juilliard students who are of Puerto Rican heritage. The Dr. Ronald D. Sugar Scholarship was established to honor the chairman of Northrop Grumman, host of the Juilliard Orchestra's recent centennial-tour concert at Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles.

Read an article on donor Himan Brown.

Many new current-fund scholarships have been contributed in tribute to Juilliard alumni and friends. Donn L. Dears endowed the Marion L. Dears Scholarship, in memory of his wife, a Juilliard alumna (DIP '49, voice), to which friends and family contributed. The Harry Bernstein Scholarship was established in memory of Harry Bernstein (B.S. '54, dance), who was the first male graduate of Juilliard's Dance Division. The Cecile E. Luft Music Scholarship memorializes alumna Cecile Luft (DIP '46, piano). The award is continuing to grow as Mrs. Luft's granddaughter, Rebecca Noymer, has made it her bat mitzvah project to write about her grandmother's career as a pianist and teacher, and encourage support for the scholarship. Hiroyoshi Kita, who studied percussion at Juilliard in the 1980s, is assisting Juilliard's percussion students with the Hiroyoshi Kita Scholarship. Alumna Madeline Frank (B.M. '76, M.M. '77, viola) established the Romayne Leader Frank Charitable Foundation Scholarship, an award for viola students in her mother's name. Family and friends of Brenda Miller Cooper ('42, voice) celebrated her 90th birthday in February by contributing to a voice scholarship, known as the Brenda Miller Cooper Scholarship. The Philip Waron Scholarship, an award for MAP students, was established in memory of Waron, who attended Juilliard in the 1920s and had a long career in music. The Mildred Cole Slater Scholarship, in memory of alumna Mildred Cole Slater-Evans (DIP '40, voice), will be awarded to voice students. The William Vacchiano Award in Trumpet, established in 1991 by alumnus Donald E. Green (M.M. '73, trumpet), was enriched this year with contributions in memory of Vacchiano, who died last September.

The Arthur Kupferman Scholarship memorializes one of Juilliard's most loyal friends so often in the audience in our performance halls. Richard Becker, donor of an eponymous music scholarship, contributed a second scholarship this year. Known as the Lee Warrick Scholarship, it pays tribute to his longtime friend, the mother of Dionne Warwick. The Pearl Bell 88's Scholarship was established in memory of pianist Pearl Bell. The Joseph A. Insalaco Memorial Scholarship benefits trombonists studying at Juilliard, and the Mildred Gruner Scholarship has been established for vocal arts students. Michael Rigg, a Juilliard friend based in Chicago, contributed two new music awards: the Marilyn M. Rigg Scholarship in memory of his wife, and the Michael O. Rigg Scholarship, in his own name.

The Juilliard School is very grateful for the scholarships and awards that alumni and friends have generously given this year. The School always welcomes the opportunity to discuss ways to support our educational and artistic activities through a variety of programs including unrestricted gifts, currently funded or endowed scholarships, special project support, bequests, and other planned gifts. For more information about contributing to Juilliard, please call the Office of Development and Public Affairs at (212) 799-5000, extension 278, or visit our Web site at www.juilliard.edu/giving.

Victoria Murray Brand is manager of scholarship development.