Keys 2 Success Awarded Cynthia Platt Scholarship

Newark NJ

01 April, 2022

6:18 AM

Description

The Cynthia Platt Scholarship, established in 2012 through a generous bequest from Ms. Platt is awarded through a competitive process to students to help propel them in their music education journey. The award honors the legacy of Ms. Platt, who relentlessly supported music education and helped create opportunities for students. The key feature of this award is the coveted opportunity to perform as a soloist with the orchestra. Keys 2 Success is no stranger to the Baroque Orchestra of New Jersey. In fact, last year, the two organizations combined forces in a historic collaboration to perform a piece co-composed by Maestro Robert Butts, the Director of the orchestra, and Elijah Souels, a Keys 2 Success faculty. This event transcended cultural and social borders and inspired the BONJ committee to award the Cynthia Platt scholarship, for the first time, to an entire ensemble, rather than to an individual. "With what Keys 2 Success is doing to bring music lessons to youth in the most underserved areas in Newark, and the Baroque Orchestra's commitment to bring diverse communities together to make music, it was a fairly obvious decision," remarked Maestro Butts regarding the decision to award K2S. Maestro Butts and Jo Ann Bates, President of the Baroque Orchestra, elaborated on the everlasting impression BONJ hopes the scholarship can make on young musicians. "We hope the award will inspire young musicians to continue their music education through high school and college years," Ms. Bates concluded. Maestro Butts agreed, adding "We want to be a force for good - helping young musicians realize their full potential." The Baroque Orchestra of New Jersey was founded in 1996 by Maestro Robert Butts, who has developed it into New Jersey's leading collaborative ensemble. Maestro Butts was named Artist of the Year by the New York Classical Music Society. His compositions have been performed across Europe and Asia, and have been featured on broadcasts of Performance Today on WQXR. To learn more, visit https://baroqueorchestra.org/ Keys 2 Success brings quality music education to Pre-K to 8th-grade students in the most underserved areas of Newark. With free, daily piano lessons delivered in a group setting in the students' own environment, teachers and volunteers work to remove barriers and support students as they develop into future leaders. To find out more, visit https://www.keysnewark.com/ For further information, contact Jo Ann Bates (201) 213-9402 or [email protected]