Music The Guild Scholarships: Awards of Distinction
The Westmont Music Department is pleased to host its annual Music Guild Scholarship Competition on Saturday, March 7, 2026, awarding a scholarship of up to $15,000 per year for study at Westmont, in addition to any academic or other scholarships earned. Participation in the competition is by invitation only, with candidates being selected from among Westmont’s top music applicants.
How do I qualify for the Music Guild Scholarship Competition?
1) Only prospective students to Westmont College (applicants as first-year or transfer students for the following Fall) are eligible for consideration.
2) Applicants must have already applied and auditioned for a music scholarship (whether in person or by submitting a video) to be considered for invitation. However, all applicants who do so are automatically considered; there is no additional application or audition. Invitations are typically sent out in January or early February.
3) Applicants must have submitted their completed Westmont Admissions Application to the Office of Admissions, and performed or submitted a qualifying audition prior to February 1. The Music Department reserves the right to include an applicant’s application materials to Westmont College in its consideration.
4) Invitations to the competition are extended as qualifying students are identified. The competition will be considered closed when a full program is confirmed. Early submission of all materials is highly recommended.
Where past Westmont Guild Musicians are today:
Sophia Chan '25 is a chemistry PhD student at UC Berkeley. Her past violin teachers include April Losey, Dr. Sarah Vendsel Dudas, Dr. Han Soo Kim, Isaac Kay, and Steve Zander, and her orchestral studies began with the Claremont Young Musicians Orchestra organization. Musical highlights at Westmont include performing as a soloist at the Lobero Theater (Spring 2022 concerto concert) and Hahn Hall at Music Academy of the West (Vivaldi Four Seasons concert series 2021-2022, Spring 2025 concerto concert). International tour highlights include Dvorak Hall (2022 Austria/Czech Republic) and a masterclass with Wei Lin (2025 Iceland). In Summer 2023, Sophia was an orchestral student at the Aspen Music Festival in Cornelia Heard's studio. Sophia holds a substitute position with the San Luis Obispo Symphony and hopes to join the UCBSO and the campanile studio during her PhD.
Born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan, violinist Lalia Mangione '17 has performed across the U.S. and internationally in Italy, Russia, and Lithuania. A concerto soloist and award recipient from MTNA and the Performing Arts Scholarship Foundation, she has played with ensembles including the Greensboro and Winston-Salem Symphonies. Lalia has taught violin for over 15 years and is a Documentary Songwriters Teaching Artist. She holds degrees from UNC Greensboro and Westmont College, and currently works at Renovare Music, a nonprofit using music, storytelling, and relationships to create restorative experiences and bridge divided communities across Cleveland.
Seattle native Ava Kimmel '25 is a promising young soprano known for her expressive musicianship and versatility across operatic and concert repertoire. This summer, she is thrilled to join Chicago Summer Opera for Monteverdi’s L'incoronazione di Poppea. Recent seasons have featured several role debuts, including Don Ettore (La Canterina), Venus (Venus and Adonis), Titania (The Fairy Queen), and Lola (Gallantry). Additional operatic highlights include performances with Stony Brook Opera Chorus in Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice and appearances in Stony Brook Opera’s annual opera scenes gala.
An active concert soloist, Ms. Kimmel has performed Mozart’s Exsultate, Jubilate with the Santa Barbara Youth Symphony and appeared with the Santa Barbara Symphony in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem. She was the featured soprano soloist in Mendelssohn’s Elijah with the Westmont Symphony Orchestra, and has performed Boulanger’s Soir sur la plaine with Westmont Chamber Ensemble in collaboration with the Bellosguardo Foundation. Her concert experience also includes performances with NATS and Seattle Opera in their Young Artists Concert, as well as numerous solo recitals. In 2024, Ms. Kimmel won First Prize in the Adult Vocal Division of the PASF Santa Barbara Competition.
