Students awarded Carson City Symphony Association scholarships

Ashlyn Parnham, Diana Banuelos Ibarra and Jasmine Wong-Fortunato were awarded the third annual Rosemary Nebesky Memorial Scholarships by the Carson City Symphony Association this month. The scholarship was established by John and Jennifer Webley of Santa Rosa, Calif., in memory of Rosemary Nebesky, who loved music and children and had been a friend and board member of the CCSA. It is awarded each year to one or more Carson City students age 5 to 17 for instrumental music lessons. The winners this year were selected from several applicants.

Parnham, 16, is a sophomore at Carson High School, where she plays in four bands on different instruments. Clarinet is her main instrument and this year she added alto clarinet in concert band, and tenor sax in jazz ensemble. Parnham plans to teach music. She has attended the Lake Tahoe Music Camp the past two years and will use her scholarship to attend again this summer.

Banuelos is a 13-year-old student who lives in Dayton, where they do not have a string program in the schools. She studies violin in Carson City with Lissette Rivas. Banuelos said, “All my life I’ve wanted to play violin. I started lessons almost a year ago and it’s been really great.”

Through violin, Banuelos has met new people, explored the music world and become closer to family members who play instruments. She will use her scholarship to continue her violin lessons.

Wong-Fortunato, 15, a ninth grader at Carson High, plays in three bands on different instruments in each. She also plays in three community groups: Carson City Symphony, Carson Valley Pops Orchestra and Capital City Community Band. A second-time winner, she plans to make music education her career and will use the scholarship to continue private lessons on bassoon.

The next round of scholarships will be awarded in fall 2019. For information about the scholarship and the application process, contact the CCSA at 775-883-4154.