The Hugh Masekela Heritage Scholarship Will Enable Six South African Music Students to Study at Manhattan School of Music
April 4, 2019
The Manhattan School of Music (MSM), The ELMA Music Foundation, and the Hugh Masekela Heritage Foundation partnership is thrilled to announced the establishment of The Hugh Masekela Heritage Scholarship.
Through this scholarship, six South African music students will be able to pursue Bachelor of Music degrees at MSM, one of world’s leading music conservatories and Hugh Masekela’s alma mater. This scholarship will not only honor Mr. Masekela’s legacy, but also nurture the next generation of South African musicians and uphold Mr. Masekela’s vision to preserve and promote African heritage, culture and identity.
The scholarship, which will cover tuition and all living expenses for each of the six scholarship recipients for their full four years of study, was announced at the Jazz Foundation’s annual gala in New York, which this year honored Mr. Masekela’s life and legacy on what would have been his 80th birthday. Mr. Masekela, who died on January 23rd, 2018, studied classical trumpet at MSM in the early 1960’s.
A principal goal of this new endeavor is to ensure that the Hugh Masekela Heritage Scholarship be awarded to South African students who have faced significant social, educational, cultural, or economic challenges, and who have a demonstrated interest in the advancement of music consistent with Mr. Masekela’s legacy and vision.
Students interested in applying, please click here to complete an application. Applications are accepted from September 1st through December 1st.
“My biggest obsession is to show Africans and the world who the people of Africa really are.”
– Hugh Masekela
