EDWARDSVILLE – Brittney Yarbrough, a senior at Edwardsville High School, was recently awarded a $4,000 Bayer Fund Scholarship for her performance in the 29th Annual Opera Theatre of Saint Louis’ Artists-In-Training Spring Recital at the Sheldon Concert Hall in St. Louis.
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Yarbrough, the daughter of Bill and Becky Yarbrough, was one of 23 students from 18 schools in the St. Louis area to perform, singing “Glitter and be Gay” from Candide by Leonard Bernstein for the large crowd in attendance.
“I’m truly honored and humbled to be named the Bayer Fund Scholarship recipient,” said Yarbrough, who will attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in the fall. “There are so many incredible performers in the AIT program, so to be chosen as the top performer is an incredible honor.”
Morris Robinson, former All-American football player at The Citadel turned opera star, judged the performances of all the singers during the Spring Recital and made the final decision on the Bayer Fund Scholarship, the top prize awarded for the year.
Yarbrough is active in the music program at Edwardsville High School, directed by her long-time voice instructor Emily Ottwein. She has also been coached for several years by Dr. Marc Schapman, Associate Professor of Voice and Director of SIUE Opera and Musical Theatre. Dr. Schapman and Dr. Joseph Welch from McKendree University were her teacher and coach, respectively, throughout the Artists-In-Training program.
In all, the OTSL Artists-In-Training program awarded $8,150 in scholarships during the 2019 Spring Recital. In addition to Yarbrough: Isaac Williams of Belleville West High School won the Marielle Huber Award for $1,750; Delaney Holiday of Belleville West High School won the Maritz First Prize Award for $1,250; Margaret Jacquay of O’Fallon Township High School took Third Prize at $750; and Vanessa Tessereau of Edwardsville High School, Spencer Hansberry of Belleville West High School, Celie Arnett of Edwardsville High School and Kayla Fisher of O’Fallon Township High School each received Honorable Mention awards of $100.
Established in 1990, the OTSL Artists-In-Training program is the only program of its kind in the U.S., and was one of 10 in the nation to be recognized by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities with the “Coming Up Taller” Award for success in serving at-risk youth.
Through local auditions, Saint Louis-area high school students are selected to participate in weekly college-level voice lessons and coachings, participate in master classes and recitals, compete for $12,000 in scholarship funds, receive college guidance, and experience the vibrant arts culture of St. Louis.
More than 240 students have participated in the AIT program since its inception and more than $525,000 in scholarships have been awarded to graduates and alumni. AIT boasts a near perfect high school graduation rate, and in the last 10 years 100 percent of program graduates have attended college – many of whom are the first in the families – at some of the nation’s top music schools including Boston Conservatory, Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, Eastman School of Music, The Julliard School of Music, Manhattan School of Music, Northwestern’s Bienen School of Music, and New England Conservatory.
In addition, many AIT graduates have gone on to a variety of music careers as professional singers, educators, stage directors, arts administrators, and private instructors. AIT graduates have performed with major opera companies and symphonies across the United States and Europe including the Dutch National Opera, English National Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Paris’ Opera Comique, San Francisco Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Sydney Symphony, and Washington National Opera.
