The 2024 Anna Newell Brown Awards for Vocal Excellence and the Betty F. Brown Awards for Instrumental Excellence, administered by Heritage Fund – The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County, will begin at 8 a.m. today.
The competitions will be at Helen Haddad Hall, 315 Franklin St. in downtown Columbus.
The event has long been lauded by music teachers, adult musical performers and even former area opera vocalists as one of the more noteworthy such gatherings for students in the Midwest, or even the nation.
Former winners have gone on to success in music and a wide range of other careers.
High school seniors who are Bartholomew County residents are eligible to compete in the annual contests for college scholarships or private instruction. Twelve seniors are competing today.
The first-place performer in each senior competition will receive a $3,500 award and may be given an invitation to perform with the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic.
High school sophomores and juniors who are residents of Bartholomew County can compete for scholarships for music lessons or camps. There are 10 underclass students competing.
Independent judges from area colleges and universities will critique participants’ technique, interpretation and general musicianship.
The Anna Newell Brown Awards for Vocal Excellence were established through the Heritage Fund in 1985 by Robert and Betty Brown to honor Brown’s mother, Anna Newell Brown. She was a distinguished vocalist and contributed greatly to the cultural life of the Bartholomew County community. The Betty F. Brown Awards for Instrumental Excellence were established by Robert N. Brown in memory of Betty. Mrs. Brown was a well-known and highly respected advocate and patron of the arts, both locally and statewide.
Robert N. Brown was longtime chairman of Home News Enterprises, former owner of The Republic and its sister publications.
The scholarships aim to encourage formal vocal and music education for Bartholomew County students.
