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Parents’ Guild Scholarships Support Four Graduating Seniors

Updated: Aug 11

Each year, the FWYO Parents' Guild honors graduating seniors through a scholarship program that celebrates not just musical achievement, but reflection, growth, and personal impact. This year, four outstanding students were awarded $500 scholarships through a competitive essay contest. Essays are reviewed anonymously by a committee of members of both the Parents’ Guild and the FWYO Board of Directors.

The Parents’ Guild does so much to make our students’ experiences special—and the scholarship program is one of the most meaningful. It’s a powerful way to recognize not just talent, but reflection and personal growth. - Andrew Reynolds, Executive Director

This year’s recipients are:


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Sarah Epperson, a violinist who has been a member of FWYO for six seasons, participated in the Youth Orchestra, Philharmonic Orchestra, String Orchestra, and the Chamber Music Program. She will study music performance at Texas Wesleyan University.


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Amy Le spent this season playing violin in the String Orchestra and will attend the University of Texas at San Antonio to study biology.



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Joshua Rose has been part of FWYO for three seasons, performing on bass trombone and tuba in both the Wind Ensemble and FWYO Jazz. He plans to study engineering in college.




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Paula Saldana-Saavedra, a violist in the Philharmonic Orchestra for four seasons, will study criminology and criminal justice at the University of Texas at Arlington.





We are deeply proud of Sarah, Amy, Joshua, and Paula—and incredibly grateful to the Parents’ Guild for honoring their stories and supporting their futures. Congratulations to these remarkable graduates!


Want to join the Parents’ Guild and help make the FWYO experience special for all our students?



About FWYO:


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Celebrating 60 years of extraordinary music education during the 2024-2025 season, the Fort Worth Youth Orchestra has won local, national, and international recognition as one of the finest youth orchestra programs in the United States. Through ten programs - including four major orchestras, two wind ensembles, a jazz band, Early Childhood Music, FWYO Suzuki School, and chamber programs - the FWYO delivers high quality musical instruction to nearly 500 students ranging in age from four to eighteen years, and represents communities throughout North Texas.


Founded by a community group headed by Betty Utter and under the direction of conductors Ezra Rachlin and John Giordano, the FWYO was founded to promote and inspire the continuing development of musical talent in qualified area youth through intensive education in classical orchestral rooted music and performance. The programs offers students the opportunity to further develop their talent as well as their leadership skills, self-discipline, confidence, and pride in personal achievement. Many of the nearly 20,000 alumni of the Fort Worth Youth Orchestra program have gone on to become members of major symphony orchestras, music educators, or leaders in their fields.


The Orchestra's accomplishments include international concert tours in Europe, Mexico, Canada, and the Far East; music festivals in Switzerland and Washington, D.C.; and numerous other concert appearances across Texas and the Southwest. Its most recent tour in 2024 was to Spain with performances in Barcelona, Valencia, and Cullera. The Youth Orchestra has also been honored to perform with artists such as Van Cliburn, Jose Feghali, Yakov Kasman, Tamàs Ungàr, and John Owings, and composers Morton Gould and Samuel Adler. In 2021, the FWYO also received 2nd in the Youth Orchestra Division of the prestigious American Prize and 3rd place in the 2024 American Prize. The Wind Ensemble also won 1st place in the American Prize Youth Band division in 2024.


Under the leadership of Music Director Dr. Germán Gutiérrez since 2000 and Executive Director Andrew Reynolds since 2021, the FWYO has become one of North Texas’ most prestigious performing arts organizations. In addition to its educational programs, the FWYO owns and operates historic Orchestra Hall in Foster Park that has been home to numerous performing arts organizations since 1975.


Press Inquiries: Lauren Arie - larie@fwyo.org / 817-923-3121 x18

 
 
 

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