Since its establishment in 1977, the William Warfield Scholarship Fund, Inc. (WWSF) has provided financial aid to more than 50 African American classical singers, including students from the Eastman School of Music and high school-aged performers. The WWSF Board of Directors invites you to attend its 47th annual benefit concert on Sunday, January 21, 2024, at 4:00 p.m., in Kilbourn Hall, featuring the 2023-2024 William Warfield Scholarship Recipient, current Eastman student Kayla Sconiers ’24E, mezzo-soprano; Joshua Conyers, Assistant Professor of Voice at Eastman; and Herb Smith ’91E, third trumpet for the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and Eastman Community Music School faculty member.
“Being the recipient of the William Warfield Scholarship is an immense privilege and self-confidence boost for me as an African American performer in the arts,” says Kayla Sconiers. “This network of trailblazers inspires me to achieve my goals and aspirations. As I grow and gain new knowledge from the program, I will carry the experience with me forever by encouraging others along the way.“ She adds, “I am grateful to my instructors, mentors and advisors for their unwavering support and guidance in nurturing my passion for music.”
Joining Sconiers on the concert program are Thomas Warfield, William Warfield Scholarship Fund President Emeritus/Artist; Anthony Walker, pianist; Kevin Nitsch ’92E (MM), ’95E (DMA), pianist; and Concert Emcee Deanna Dewberry, Anchor and Investigative Reporter for News10 NBC and WHEC-TV.
“It is an honor to perform at the William Warfield Benefit Concert,” exclaims Joshua Conyers. “Mr. Warfield is a pillar of the opera community and paved the way for black opera singers like me. To have the opportunity to honor him and give back to the community is an absolute privilege.”
The 2024 William Warfield Legacy Award will be presented to The Mt. Vernon Missionary Baptist Church, for its distinguished service and financial contribution to the scholarship fund; with special mention to the Mt. Vernon Male Chorus who has ministered annually through song at the scholarship benefit concert for many years.
This year’s theme A Cast in History pays tribute to the captivating documentary, “William Warfield: Cast in History” (2022), which received a New York Emmy® Award nomination in 2023, and will be highlighted during the concert. It delves into the life and legacy of Warfield, and features the collaborative, behind-the-scenes effort in developing the bust of Warfield that now sits in the courtyard of Eastman’s Miller Center. “This recognition is a testament to the exceptional storytelling and filmmaking prowess showcased in the documentary,” remarks Lolita Forsett, WWSF Board President. The documentary was produced by Rochester Institute of Technology in partnership with WWSF, Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester, The City of Rochester, Thomas Warfield and nationally recognized Rochester artist Shawn Dunwoody.
Tickets are $30 for general admission and $10 for students with URID. They may be purchased at EastmanTheatre.org.
Please consider supporting the WWSF by donating here: williamwarfield.org/contribute
For more information, visit the William Warfield Scholarship Fund.
Media only:
Eastman School of Music | Lauren Sageer, Assistant Director of Public Relations and Digital Content,
(585) 451-8492, lsageer@esm.rochester.edu
William Warfield Scholarship Fund | Lolita Forsett, President of the Board,
(585) 202-3686, info@williamwarfield.com
###
Artists performing at the Scholarship Fund Concert include:
Kayla Sconiers ’24E, mezzo-soprano, is a native of Lakeland, FL. She is currently in her fourth year of undergraduate studies at the Eastman School of Music, where she is pursuing a degree in Vocal Performance under the tutelage of Joshua Conyers. Kayla is a two time-recipient of the William Warfield Scholarship. Recently, Kayla performed as Anne in Eastman Opera Theatre’s Production of To Hell and Back by Jake Heggie and as Oberto in Handel’s Alcina.
Sconiers is the winner of the Mary E. Singletary Vocal Arts Competition 2023. Apart from her musical pursuits, Kayla is actively involved on campus as Vice President of the Black Students’ Union at Eastman and Vice President of the Undergraduate Students’ Association.
Joshua Conyers, a GRAMMY-nominated vocalist, has been singled out by The New York Times as having “a sonorous baritone” that “wheedled and seduced” and by The Washington Post for having a “show stealing” performance. A native of Bronx, New York, he is known for his captivating performances and recognized as one of the most promising dramatic voices of today. Conyers has performed with the most prestigious opera companies, symphonies, and concert halls in the United States and abroad and has earned numerous vocal competition awards.
Prior to his appointment at Eastman, Conyers was a voice teacher at New England Conservatory Preparatory School and Continuing Education in Boston, MA. He received his BM in Vocal Performance and Professional Certificate from the UNC School of the Arts/A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute and his MM in Vocal Performance from Indiana University.
Herb Smith ’91E, a conductor, artist, composer, and voted “Best Instrumentalist” of Rochester 2022, City Magazine, holds the third trumpet position and is a regular guest conductor with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO). He serves as the principal trumpet in the Gateways Brass Collective, a nationally touring professional brass quintet. Smith has played with notable musicians such as Jeff Beck Aretha Franklin, Natalie Cole, Johnny Mathis, and Doc Severinsen to name a few; and frequently is a guest soloist with the Buffalo Philharmonic.
A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Herb is a trumpet instructor at the Eastman Community Music School. He also leads masterclasses and offers lectures on trumpet technique, endurance, and sound production. From universities to elementary schools, Herb is frequently invited to serve as teacher, teaching artist, and clinician. He co-founded Herb’s City Trumpets, a program that mentors and teaches trumpet to Black students aged 8 to 17, in partnership with the Rochester City School District.
Thomas Warfield, an international performing artist, has lived in six countries. He is founder/artistic director of PeaceArt, a 32-year-old global peace organization. Thomas Warfield has been Director of Dance at the Rochester Institute of Technology for 25 years. He has served on many boards: World Dance Alliance (Hong Kong), ARTWalk, Rochester Arts Council, Greentopia, Rochester City Ballet, Gateways Music Festival, Rochester Fringe Festival, NY Dance Festival, and was a former president of the William Warfield Scholarship Fund.
Anthony Walker, award-winning pianist, composer, producer and educator is a native of St. Paul, MN. A versatile musician who is regularly featured as a headlining artist, he has performed and/or recorded in the US and abroad with the likes of Gospel Icons Richard Smallwood, Donnie McClurkin, The Winans family, The Clark Sisters, R&B and Jazz artists such as Ledisi, Layla Hathaway, Michelle Williams, Robert Glasper, Brian Blade, Take Six, Stevie Wonder, Broadway and Classical artists; Cynthia Erivo, Joshua Henry and René Fleming. Anthony has also been a featured performer with the Washington National Symphony, San Diego Symphony and Chicago Symphony Orchestras. Anthony received his undergraduate degree from Alabama State University and MM in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Temple University. Walker is the Director of Keyboard Studies at Eastern University in St. Davids, PA, Music Director for Washington Performing Arts Men, Women and Children of the Gospel Choirs and Music Director at Hope Christian Church in the greater Washington DC area.
The Mt. Vernon Missionary Baptist Church Music Ministry has ministered through song since the church’s inception in 1939. The church’s history includes the renowned singer and actor William C. Warfield, whose father Rev. Robert E. Warfield, was called to pastor the church from 1947 until his death in 1966. Mt. Vernon’s Male Chorus began under the leadership of Thaddeus Warfield, the youngest brother of William Warfield, who served as Minister of Music until his retirement in 1993.
Kevin Nitsch is a pianist, collaborator and teacher in the Rochester area. He performs regularly with Rochester Oratorio Society, Finger Lakes Opera, Lyric Opera and Madrigalia; and, holds a MM and a DMA in Performance and Literature in Piano Performance from the Eastman School of Music.
Deanna Dewberry is a multi-award-winning anchor and investigative reporter with more than two decades of experience in television news. Deanna is a dedicated advocate for breast cancer research and her advocacy has earned her 12 regional Emmy Awards, which included being named the region’s top consumer reporter.
###
About the William Warfield Scholarship Fund
Formed in March 1977 (incorporated in 1979) under the leadership of Anastasia L. “Tessa” Martin to honor the life and legacy of William Warfield, we are a 15-member board, 100% volunteer operated with no paid personnel.
Mission
The William Warfield Scholarship Fund is dedicated to providing financial support and encouragement for African American students to attain success in the field of classical vocal music; and fostering wider recognition of the life and legacy of William Warfield.
We provide an annual scholarship for African American vocal students at the Eastman School of Music, and an annual scholarship concert and spring luncheon that feature our Eastman scholarship recipient. Now in its fourth year, the “William Warfield Classical Vocal Competition for African American High School Students” provides financial support and encouragement to African American students in schools across the country.
###
About William Warfield
William Warfield, born January 22, 1920, grew up in Rochester, NY. He graduated from Rochester city schools and earned a New York state cosmetology license. During his senior high school year, he won the National Music Educators League Competition and a full scholarship to any American music school of his choice. William chose the Eastman School of Music, where he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in 1942 and 1946.
William was known worldwide for his work as a soloist, recitalist, actor, narrator, and activist. He was acclaimed throughout the world as one of the great vocal artists of our time, was a star in every field open to a singer’s art and was one of the world’s leading experts on Negro Spirituals and German Lieder. Best known for his portrayals of Porgy in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess and of Joe, the dock hand, in the movie Showboat, he won a Grammy in 1984 for his narration of Aaron Copland’s A Lincoln Portrait accompanied by the Eastman Philharmonia. In 1991, he published his uncommonly personal memoir, My Music & My Life.
About Eastman School of Music:
The Eastman School of Music was founded in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman (1854-1932), founder of Eastman Kodak Company. It was the first professional school of the University of Rochester. Mr. Eastman’s dream was that his school would provide a broad education in the liberal arts as well as superb musical training.
More than 900 students are enrolled in the Collegiate Division of the Eastman School of Music—about 500 undergraduates and 400 graduate students. They come from almost every state, and approximately 23 percent are from other countries. They are taught by a faculty comprised of more than 130 highly regarded performers, composers, conductors, scholars, and educators. They are Pulitzer Prize winners, Grammy winners, Emmy winners, Guggenheim fellows, ASCAP Award recipients, published authors, recording artists, and acclaimed musicians who have performed in the world’s greatest concert halls. Each year, Eastman’s students, faculty members, and guest artists present more than 900 concerts to the Rochester community. Additionally, more than 1,700 members of the Rochester community, from young children through senior citizens, are enrolled in the Eastman Community Music School.
About the University of Rochester:
The University of Rochester is one of the nation’s leading private research universities, one of only 62-member institutions in the Association of American Universities. Located in Rochester, N.Y., the University gives undergraduates exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary study and close collaboration with faculty through its unique cluster-based curriculum. Its College, School of Arts and Sciences, and Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences are complemented by the Eastman School of Music, Simon School of Business, Warner School of Education, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, School of Medicine and Dentistry, School of Nursing, Eastman Institute for Oral Health, and the Memorial Art Gallery.