• Most Respected Classical Music Platform
  • #classicalForever
TOP
Colburn School Launches Female Diversity Fellowship - image attachment
Morales with the first cohort of Fortissima fellows (Photo credit: Colburnschool.edu.)

Colburn School Announces New Fortissima Fellows

The Fortissima fellowship supports artistic leadership and development for promising young women of color in classical music

Los Angeles' Colburn School, announced its newest cohort of Fortissima fellows this week — 10 high school-age women of color from across the United States.

The fellowship aims to provide opportunities for underrepresented women in classical music to equip them for a future in classical music through performance, conservatory preparation, and career development. Provided at no cost to participants, the program consists of a six-month period of one-on-one mentorship, a virtual leadership curriculum, and a weeklong residential intensive at Colburn from October 30 to November 6. 

Fortissima was first established by Colburn’s Coordinator of Community Engagement and Career Development Jasmín Morales, who now directs the program. 

“I think as a field we’re slowly moving away from the conformist, rigid path to becoming a classical musician, where if you want a job in a professional orchestra you have to fit a certain mold,” Morales wrote on the Colburn School’s website in 2017, after first launching the fellowship.

“The presence of women of color in those spaces will radically change how those organizations look, feel, and function. The goal is just to get our girls there and empower them to be change agents and leaders in the field so that they can make classical music more for them and everyone around them.”

This year’s Fortissima fellows: 

  • Gabriela Salvador Riera (violin; Wilmington, Delaware)
  • Suubi Laurent (cello; Attleboro, Massachusetts)
  • Anagha Kapsi (violin; Exton, Pennsylvania)
  • Leena Hocutt Duarte (violin; Cary, North Carolina)
  • Genesis Garay (trumpet; Los Angeles, California)
  • Valeria Serrano (viola; Arlington, Virginia)
  • Leah Marcelle (piano; Los Angeles, California)
  • Bianca Quddus (clarinet; Richmond Hill, New York)
  • Lauren Edwards (violin; Owings Mills, Maryland)
  • Esme Arias Kim (violin; Hoffman Estates, Illinois)

Applications for the program typically open in February. More details can be found on the Colburn School's website. 

upcoming events

may 2025

12mayAll Day03junPrague Spring International Music Festival(All Day) Rudolfinum, Alšovo nábř. 79/12, 110 00 Staré město-Staré Město, CzechiaEvent Type :Other

12mayAll Day03junPrague Spring International Cello Competition(All Day) Rudolfinum, Alšovo nábř. 79/12, 110 00 Staré město-Staré Město, CzechiaEvent Type :competitions Event TagsPrague Spring International Violin Competition,violin competition

17mayAll Day18Stulberg International String Competition(All Day) Dalton Center Recital Hall at Western Michigan University, 1300 Theatre Dr, Kalamazoo, MI 49008Event Type :competitions Event Tagscompetition,Stulberg International String Competition

24mayAll Day08junSendai International Violin Competition(All Day) Hitachi Systems Hall Sendai (Sendai City Youth Cultural Center), 3-27-5, Asahigaoka, Aoba-ku, Sendai City, Miyagi Pref., 981-0904, JapanEvent Type :competitions Event Tagscompetition,violin

25mayAll Day06junMontreal International Voice Competition(All Day) Event Type :competitions Event TagsMontreal International Piano Competition,Piano Competition

june 2025

01junAll Day13International Conducting Competition Rotterdam - Final Round(All Day) de Doelen, Schouwburgplein 50 3012 CL RotterdamEvent Type :competitions Event Tagscompetition,conductor

06junAll Day12Khachaturian International Conducting Competition(All Day) Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall, 46 Mesrop Mashtots Ave, Yerevan, ArmeniaEvent Type :competitions Event TagsKhachaturian International Competition,violin competition

14junAll Day29Sendai International Piano Competition(All Day) Hitachi Systems Hall Sendai (Sendai City Youth Cultural Center), 3-27-5, Asahigaoka, Aoba-ku, Sendai City, Miyagi Pref., 981-0904, JapanEvent Type :competitions Event Tagscompetition,piano

CONTACT US
x

Get ALL our latest conveniently by EMAIL

Our newsletter is trusted by over 100,000+ industry professionals around the world

We deliver news straight to your inbox and will never share your data.
You'll never miss a beat!

click left click right