The Colburn-Pledge Music Scholarship

The Colburn-Pledge Music Scholarship provides college tuition assistance to young string instrument players who are preparing for careers in classical music.

The scholarship awards are limited to the amount of the annual tuition to be charged by the school, college, university, or music teacher of the recipient’s choice, not to exceed $3,000 per recipient. As of 2021, 133 scholarships totaling more than $99,000 had been awarded by the foundation to 72 different students.

The scholarship was formerly associated under the auspices of The Colburn-Pledge Music Scholarship Foundation from 1985 to 2021, and now currently resides under the management of Musical Bridges Around the World. The previously-named foundation was formed by John Pledge with proceeds from the estates of his sister, Genevieve Pledge, and of Lois Colburn, both former members of the San Antonio Symphony, for the purpose of offering tuition aid to string players residing in Texas who are preparing for careers in classical music. The first annual Colburn-Pledge Music Scholarship auditions were held in San Antonio on June 2, 1986. and the original foundation officers were Shirley Frederic, president; Robert Danielson, William Moore, and Barbara Faught, vice-presidents; Joycelyn Rudeloff, secretary; and John Pledge, treasurer.

Key Dates 

• Application and Audition Period: 15 May – 30 June 2023
• Scholarship Recipients Chosen: Late June/July 2023 

Eligibility

• Applicants for financial aid must be music students pursuing the studies of a bowed string instrument (specifically violin, viola, cello, or double bass) in classical music at any nationally recognized music school, college, or university, or be studying with any nationally recognized music teacher, and have the intention of becoming a professional performing musician.
• Applicants must be bona fide residents of Greater San Antonio (counties include Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Guadalupe, Kendall, Medina, Wilson) on the date of making application and for a period of at least six (6) months prior thereto, or prior to having entered a music school, college, or university, if attending an out-of-state institution at the time of making such application.

Application & Audition Submission Process

Applications are handled through the ACCEPTD application platform. The Colburn-Pledge Music Scholarship does NOT conduct live auditions, all auditions should be video recording as a part of the online application process.

To read the full list of submission guidelines and apply:

1. Visit our ACCEPTD page.
2. “Select Program” under “Start an Application” box. Select “Colburn-Pledge Music Scholarship”.
3.  Read and prepare all application submission materials.
4. Once applications have opened, click “Apply for Colburn-Pledge Music Scholarship under the “Start an Application” box to begin your application.

In December 2021, two Colburn-Pledge Music Scholarship recipients violinist Emily Averyt and cellist Matthew Averyt performed at the San Fernando Cathedral as part of the Musical Bridges Youth Holiday concert. It premieres online Sunday 24 July at 7 PM CT (UTC-5) on our website and our YouTube channel.

To view IRS Forms of the previously-held foundation (2015-2021), click here.