Music The Guild Scholarships: Awards of Distinction

Corrie Bascom is a violinist from Minneapolis, Minnesota. She began studying violin at the age of five, and is a student of Minnesota Orchestra violinist Aaron Janse. She is a homeschool graduate and is currently taking a gap year. In high school, she played in the Minnesota Youth Symphonies and the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies. She is a recipient of the Minnesota Youth Symphonies Mary West Scholarship and was selected as a member of the 2019 Minnesota All-State Orchestra. Corrie studied chamber music through the Saint Paul Chamber Music Academy, coached by Tom Rosenberg. Corrie works as the String Orchestra Assistant for the Minnesota Youth Symphonies, and enjoys being a part of the music team at her church. Playing music with others has brought a great love for music into Corrie’s life, and her favorite part of being a violinist is seeing and experiencing the power that music has to bring people together. Her favorite things besides music are theater, books, Chinese food, going on walks, and dogs.

Faith Ellzey grew up in LA and started playing violin at 6 alongside her twin sister. After struggling to learn the violin, she thought it was best to choose an easier instrument, and decided the harp would be a better choice (even though she had never seen or heard the harp). After telling her parents (who were quite shocked), they found a local harp teacher and started lessons right away. To Faith’s surprise she quickly learned that the harp was not as easy as she thought it would be, but quitting wasn’t an option, so the harp it was. The road to learning the harp was very rocky at first. Faith struggled to read music, understand all the strings and pluck them with her fingers. But, after all of Faith's trials and tribulations she started to play quite well, which helped her win some local competitions. She started playing with orchestras at weddings, baby showers and open markets. Faith continues to learn the harp with her amazing teacher Marcia Dickstein. She competes in solo competitions, and occasionally competes with her twin sister. She looks forward to continue to play the harp in college as a music minor, sharing her struggles of learning an instrument and overcoming those trials.

Grace Ellzey was adopted from Shenzhen China along with her twin sister, Faith, as a baby. At the age of 6 she was enticed by the violin, and knew that she just had to learn it. From then, her violin journey began. By the age of 12 she was lead worship violinist at her dad’s church and was playing in her first orchestra. Since then, Grace has had the opportunity to study and perform music in France, play on live radio with Colburn’s youth orchestra, work with the LA opera, and perform at Disneyland.Though the unfortunate events of 2020 stopped Grace’s chance to join her Colburn orchestra for a 5th year, she took the opportunity to play in local concerts with her sister, Faith, a harpist. Having already played together for gigs, fundraisers and competitions, Covid quarantine gave them extra time to deepen their ensemble work and musicianship, which is enhanced by their ‘twin sister communication”. Grace finds much joy in her music and loves teaching several students of her’s, hoping it gives individuals the chance to bring beauty, depth, and color through the magic of music.

Rachel Harrington is a senior at Patten Academy of Christian Education in Oakland, California. Although she started on violin in elementary school, she came to her senses after hearing the viola's rich, deep tones for the first time. When she isn't reading, writing, drawing, or lovingly petting her cat, Rachel is playing Cesario, her viola, in the Patten Academy Symphonette and East Bay Youth Orchestra. She also sings and plays piano and viola on her church's worship team. One of her favorite composers is Shostakovich.

Hannah Lim is a senior at North Creek High School in Bothell, Washington. Hannah is the principal oboist of the Cascade Youth Symphony Orchestra, and first-chair in her school’s wind ensemble. She has participated in the Washington Music Educators Association All-State Honor Band in 2020 and 2022, and in the National Association for Music Educators All-Northwest Division Honor Symphonic Orchestra in 2021. In 2019, she earned an Outstanding Achievement Seal of Recognition in the Seattle Young Artists Music Festival. In her free time, she enjoys traveling with her family, getting involved with Key Club International at her school, and playing with her dog, Kipper. Hannah is both very grateful and excited for such a wonderful opportunity to perform at Westmont College!

Andreas Olvera is a senior at Pioneer High School in Woodland, California, and has studied the trumpet for the past eight years. Andreas currently studies privately with Dan McCrossen, plays in jazz band and wind ensemble at school, and plays first trumpet in his county’s community band. Andreas has also participated in the Northern California Honor Band and the California All-State Honor Band, and has studied piano privately for twelve years. In addition, Andreas has served in the music ministry at his church as part of the seasonal orchestra and in instrumental ensembles. When he's not in school or playing music, Andreas works as a bicycle mechanic at a local non-profit. He also enjoys reading, discovering new musical artists on Spotify, and spending time with friends.

Johanna Gilbert is a senior at Sheldon High School in Eugene, Oregon. She has studied voice for 4 years, currently under local artist Shirley Andress. She has performed as a semi-professional (paid) vocalist and musical theater actress at the Shedd Institute for the Performing Arts for 6 years, and has loved every moment of her seven shows with The Shedd. She was a member of the two audition-only high school choirs, Varsity Choir and the Dublinaires (traveling performance jazz choir). In addition to her vocal training, she trained in piano and dance for ten years. She enjoys using her musical gifts to lead worship at her church and write and perform original worship music. She hopes to study voice and perform with choirs at Westmont in order to grow and cultivate her musical gifts so that she may continue to use them to bring people joy and glorify God.

Maia Hacker is a vocalist from San Diego, California. She has been a singer for as long as she can remember, and has always had a passion for music. She was a member of the award winning  a cappella group Chamber Bravura, directed by her vocal coach, Katherine Girvin.  She was awarded the opening solo for her group in Carnegie Hall, directed by Deke Sharon, the producer of the Pitch Perfect movies.

She was enrolled in the  Coronado School of the Arts Musical theater conservatory. She currently is the alto section leader in the Christian High School Concert Choir. She also sings weekly in her school chapel service as one of eight select members of the ensemble, Patriot Praise. In Maia’s home music is a family affair and her father and brothers often accompany her on the piano, sax or guitar.  Maia is the founder of a charity organization, Caring Cupcakes that delivers homemade confections to elderly community members. Her favorite things besides music and baking are dogs, dancing, especially Bollywood and classical Indian dance, skiing, travel and cheerleading.

Soprano, Emily Kingsley, is an avid chorister and concert soloist. Music and singing has been a passion for Emily since she began singing with her church choir as a very small child. However, classical music became Emily’s primary focus when her father introduced her to her first classical piano recital at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. It was this exposure that catapulted her into her current musical focus and area of study. Currently, Emily is a soprano in several choral ensembles including the Advanced Treble Ensemble and Madrigal Singers at Foothill High School and two professional community choirs in Orange County; the Orange County Millennial Choir and Orchestra and Meistersingers. Her involvement in these institutions has given her the opportunity to sing several solos and duets from a diverse range of styles and genres. Furthermore, Emily has acquired extensive knowledge of choral literature and pedagogy through her abundant concertizing and her time prepping and conducting the Hewes Middle School choir for their Winter Concert in 2021. Additionally, Emily is the student conductor of the FHS Dickens Carolers, conductor of the Chamber Singers, soprano section leader in both her high school ensembles, and the choir vice-president on the student governing choral board. Emily studies voice privately with Audrey Mink and performs in vocal recitals semi-annually. Emily has been awarded accolades for her leadership in choir and received the Academic Award of Excellence in Vocal Music in 2020. Outside of music, Emily continues her creativity by designing and sewing her own clothes.

Hailey Somphone is currently a senior at the Orange County School of the Arts. She has studied piano for fourteen years and voice for seven. Along with classical singing, she enjoys composing contemporary and musical theater music, and song-writing. Hailey also leads worship at her church youth group. Outside of music, she enjoys reading and trying new types of food with her family.

Larkin Ten Elshof will be graduating from the Orange County School of the Arts this year. She began singing at an early age in musical theater, and then began classical study in 7th grade when she was accepted into the Classical Voice Conservatory. She has earned several awards in local competitions, but also really loves to perform with her friends . Some of her favorite roles have been Pamina in “The Magic Flute,” Maria in “The Sound of Music,” and Mary Poppins. She has felt the deep impact of music as it has brought her together with others: in choirs, giving voice lessons, performing for an audience, and in corporate worship. She expresses her gratitude to being invited to perform tonight!