The Anne Walker Scholarship Fund has awarded three scholarships for the coming academic year, to help 802 members or their children pursue studies in music. This year’s recipients are:

John Cipolla, who is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in clarinet performance at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He has been involved in music in New York City for the past 15 years as a woodwind doubler on Broadway, a solo clarinet artist and a teacher. He is a member of the Radio City Music Hall Orchestra, was a member of the Broadway show Cats for the final eight years of its existence, and works extensively in the freelance field. He has also been extremely active in the union, serving on the Radio City Music Hall Orchestra Committee for the last 13 years.

Johannes Pfannkuch, a trombone player who is now freelancing in the New York area after spending much of the last six years touring with the Broadway show Miss Saigon, which closed last August. He has been principal trombone with the Sarasota Opera Orchestra, Centre Symphony, Goldman Memorial Band, New Rochelle Opera Co., and Village Light Opera Co. He received his Bachelor and Master of Music from Manhattan School of Music and is now pursuing an Artist Diploma in Jazz Studies at the Purchase Conservatory of Music. The program, a two-year graduate degree, has given him the opportunity to play in several ensembles.

Yahn Van de Walle, a trumpet player who is graduating from high school this year and will be majoring in music performance on trumpet at Western Michigan University. Both his mother, oboist Lynne Cohen, and his stepfather, conductor Constantine Kitsopoulos, are 802 members. He plays in his school’s jazz, symphonic and marching bands, as well as the New Jersey Youth Symphony. He is also a member of a rhythm and blues band.

This is the third year that the scholarship fund – formed to honor the late Anne Walker, a longtime member of the 802 staff and a tireless advocate for musicians – has awarded grants to help Local 802 members and their families pursue college-level studies in music. The review panel is made up of Jay Blumenthal, Bob Cranshaw, Gayle Dixon, Julius Grossman, Bernard Lieberman and Jimmy Owens. Abe Rosen also participated in this year’s selection process.