Fendi Vanguard Awards Given

The Fendi Vanguard Awards continue Juilliard's collaboration with the Italian fashion house

By Joshua Simka
The 2022 Fendi Vanguard Award recipients were announced in July. This honor—for Juilliard students who display the potential to be future innovators in their discipline and across the performing arts and embody the promise of a career in the vanguard—continues Juilliard’s collaboration begun in 2020 with the luxury Italian fashion house, which has resulted in an episode in the streaming series FENDI Renaissance—Anima Mundi. This year the awards go to fourth-years Stella Everett (drama) from Sydney, Australia; Raven Joseph (dance), from Queens; and mezzo-soprano Mary Beth Nelson from Orange County, California; and second-year harpsichordist Peter Lim from Atlanta.

The awardees are chosen from among Juilliard students about to start their final year of study; an actor, a dancer, and two musicians are nominated by divisional leaders and faculty. Each awardee receives a monetary prize; press and media opportunities; a collaborative performance opportunity at a Fendi corporate event hosted by Juilliard; individual mentorship opportunities with Fendi professionals; and the opportunity to be styled in Fendi for major professional and academic engagements over the coming year. The four award recipients recently spoke to the Journal.

How did you find out that you had been selected?
Raven: I got an email on a Friday saying that the Office of the Provost and the Dance Division wanted to meet on Monday about “good news.” Once I heard that I was a 2022 Fendi Vanguard awardee, my cheeks hurt from smiling so much.

Peter: I was simply shocked!

Mary Beth: I couldn’t believe what I was hearing—I would get to partner with the most iconic Italian fashion house?! I felt so incredibly blessed and grateful.

What excited you most about receiving the award?
Raven: Being recognized for all my hard work and dedication. It makes me feel so warm inside that through all the hardships of the pandemic and fighting to stay strong throughout my third year, it has all paid off.

Stella: Fendi is a hallmark of excellence, so being given the opportunity to sport their threads is just too good! When I heard of the financial award, I burst into tears. Being an international student in one of the most expensive cities in the world, money’s tight. I’ll take all the help I can get!

Peter: The opportunity to represent Juilliard Historical Performance. Also, Fendi is one of my favorite designer brands.

Tell us about the synergy between fashion and the performing arts.
Peter: I have always been interested in bringing visual elements to the classical music stage. With this collaboration, I feel supported in pursuing my passion.

Stella: We’re in an era of cross-pollination between artistic forms, which has a transformational effect on the artistic community.

Mary Beth: Classical music paired with Fendi’s rich heritage is the perfect mixture of beauty and storytelling. Its rich history pairs especially well with the classical music tradition—both have so much to inform each other.

Raven: It is amazing to see Fendi intersecting their unique and colorful fashion statements with something so relevant like the arts. When it comes to making a statement, what you wear can bring out your confidence. Combining my love for dance and fashion—Fendi high fashion at that—is a dream come true.

What was it like choosing your attire for the Fendi photo session?
Stella: The Juilliard and Fendi team members have been divine when it comes to making sure we feel comfortable and confident. My favorite pieces were the O’Lock hair clips.

Mary Beth: I was immediately emboldened by the light blue suit and knew it would be my pick for the photo shoot. Actually—music nerd alert—it reminded me of the iconic blue color of my favorite music publisher, Bärenreiter.

Raven: I loved every single piece, and it meant everything to me to even be wearing a piece from Fendi’s spring/summer 2022 runway collection—not many people can say that. And every day that I’m reminded of it, my gratitude increases!

Peter: Fendi was extremely generous with the selection, so I narrowed my choice to what would go best with my instrument, the harpsichord. The piece that resonated most was the chain I wore at the photo shoot.

What does it mean to be in the vanguard?
Stella: I’m bored with boxes. I’m bored with genres, categories, divisions—I’m looking to create a future that demands we let go of our preconceived ideas of how something “should” exist and allow artists to create worlds that defy existing forms.

Mary Beth: My intense curiosity has given me the opportunity to connect with beautiful souls and find depth in my work and in life. It is a source of great joy and perpetual perplexity to be in a constant state of discovery.

Raven: When I think of a vanguard, I think of someone who is important and can be seen in a leadership position—and that is one of my many lifetime goals.

Peter: To me, vanguard means a leader of new ideas. My field of study is often associated with old and sacred, and while this is partially true, there is so much more to be explored through modern interpretations.

Where do you see this award taking you moving forward?
Raven: Fourth year is one of the most important years in undergrad because this is the time to audition and put yourself out into the world—to figure out the next steps. This award gives me financial support but also the confidence to know that I am worthy of something special and deserve to put myself out there!

Peter: A successful model or musician should have a harmonious balance between outer beauty and inner confidence, and this award is pushing me out of my comfort zone.

Mary Beth: I see this as an opportunity to dig deep. How can this collaboration elevate my mission as an artist-citizen? Partnering with Fendi for this purpose is a gift, and the product is sharing beauty, truth, and beautiful stories with the world.

Joshua Simka (BM ’14, voice) is assistant editor of the Journal

Photos: Erin Baiano