2024 Macdonald Scholarship Competition Finals
County of Fairfax, Virginia
The Robert Ames Alden Theatre
at the McLean Community Center
1234 Ingleside Ave., McLean, Va. 22101
www.aldentheatre.org
Media Contact: Sabrina Anwah
Director of Communications
703-790-0123/TTY: 711
sabrina.anwah@fairfaxcounty.gov
Visit our Newsroom: https://mcleancenter.org/about/news/
Photos by Oxley Photography
2024-Macdonald-winners
MCC Vice Chair Kristina Groennings (second from left) stands with the 2024 James C. Macdonald Performing Arts Scholarship finalists.
2024-first-place-winners
First-Place Winners Melina Turnage (Dance), Lea Kung (Instrumental Music), Samantha Carey (Theater) and Alex Valencic (Vocal Music).
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
024-033
Twelve young artists receive Macdonald Scholarship awards from The McLean Community Center
McLean, Va.—Twelve young local artists were awarded 2024 James C. Macdonald Performing Arts Scholarships by the McLean Community Center. The annual scholarship competition began with preliminary auditions in February and culminated with a final competition on stage at The Alden on Wednesday, April 17. A division of the McLean Community Center, The Alden Theatre is located at 1234 Ingleside Ave.
The James C. Macdonald Performing Arts Scholarship Competition encourages artistic achievement and promotes study in the arts by high school students who reside or attend school in the McLean district (Small Tax District 1A, Dranesville). Scholarship prizes of $1,200 are awarded to students placing first in each of four categories: Dance, Instrumental Music, Theater and Vocal Music. Second-place winners are awarded $800 and third-place winners win $400. In 2020, the 1st place Instrumental Music Award was named in honor of Anita Lamkin, a longtime friend of young musicians and supporter of music performances in McLean.
This year’s winners are:
Dance
First Place: Melina Turnage, McLean High School
Second Place: Yunseo Lee, McLean High School
Third Place: Sophie Zhang, McLean High School
Instrumental Music
First Place: Lea Kung, McLean High School
Second Place: Sophia Lin, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Third Place: Ryan Chun, McLean High School
Theater
First Place: Samantha Carey, McLean High School
Second Place: Aashna Kapur, McLean High School
Third Place: Abby Joe, Langley High School
Vocal Music
First Place: Alex Valencic, McLean High School
Second Place: Kasimir Rastogi, Langley High School
Third Place: Valentina Sedan, McLean High School
The competition’s distinguished judges were:
Dance
May Kesler, dancer, choreographer, physical therapist and massage therapist and owner of Kesler Physical & Massage Therapy, LLC.
Christina Robson, a performer, educator and choreographer, holds an MFA from the University of Maryland and is on the faculty at George Mason University.
Terlene D. Terry-Todd, dancer, actor, choreographer and professional teaching artist, founding artistic director of the Reston Institute for the Arts and a Master Teaching Artist for Wolf Trap Education.
Instrumental Music
Anne Curley, bassoon performer and double reed teacher and former chair of the Arlington Commission for the Arts.
Luke Ratcliffe, an acclaimed pianist, holds a doctoral degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and serves on the faculty of Levine School of Music.
Ethan Watermeier, interdisciplinary teaching artist and musician-in-residence and coordinator of Vocal Studies at American University.
Theater
Meghan Pafumi, middle and high school theater teacher and production director for Fairfax County Public Schools since 1996.
Natasha Parnian, a critically acclaimed stage director, performance speaking strategist and founder of Dark Horse Theatre Company.
Mark Rogers, Performing Arts Specialist for Loudoun County Public Schools and member of AEA, SAG, VTA and ETA.
Vocal Music
Kelly Smith Jones, vocal coach and member of the vocal faculty at American University.
Sarah B. Markovits, performer, instructor and choral director of the Upper School and the Arts Department head at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C.
Ethan Watermeier, interdisciplinary teaching artist and musician-in-residence and coordinator of Vocal Studies at American University.
For more information on the Macdonald Performing Arts Scholarship Competition, visit aldentheatre.org or call 703-790-0123/TTY: 711.
About The Alden
Built in 1975, the 383-seat Robert Ames Alden Theatre, “The Alden,” is a cultural resource for the citizens of McLean and the Washington Metropolitan area that presents a full professional season of interdisciplinary and high-quality performances, lectures and educational programs for audiences of all ages. The Alden is ADA-compliant and will make arrangements for accommodations. To request this information in an alternate format, call 703-790-0123, TTY: 711, or visit: www.aldentheatre.org.
# # #
The Robert Ames Alden Theatre is a cultural resource for the citizens of McLean that presents high-quality performances, lectures and educational programs for audiences of all ages. The Alden Theatre is ADA-compliant and will make arrangements for accommodations. To request this information in an alternate format, call 711.
