The Nancy F. Walker Scholarships
for Western Classical
Vocal and Instrumental Students
SCHOLARSHIP AUDITIONS
COLLEGE AWARDS
1st: $10,000
2nd: $5,000
3rd: $3,000
$500 Encouragement Awards
HIGH SCHOOL AWARDS
1st: $4,000
2nd: $2,000
3rd: $1,000
$500 Encouragement Awards
The Nancy F. Walker Memorial Scholarship Competition for Western Classical instrumental and vocal students has been held annually since 2018. Auditions will be held on January 23, 2027, location TBA. More information regarding audition requirements will be posted soon!
ELIGIBILITY:
High School Juniors and Seniors
College Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors & Seniors
Must be residents in:
- Butler, Clermont, Hamilton, and Warren Counties in Ohio;
- Dearborn County in Indiana;
- Boone, Campbell, and Kenton Counties in Kentucky.
Top Award Winners will perform at 11 am on Wednesday, April 3, 2027 for the Scholarship Recital and Luncheon at Greenacres Arts Center, 8400 Blome Rd, Indian Hill, Cincinnati, OH 45243. Only members, subscribers and guests will be invited to attend. After the recital, guests will be treated to a delicious complimentary lunch and have the opportunity to meet with the scholarship recipients.
Auditions are adjudicated by highly qualified, distinguished judges, who also provide comments which are shared with individual students.
QUESTIONS?
Please contact Jane Copper-Short at matineemusicalescholarships@gmail.com
Click below to see our past winners!
New of Past Winners
Our 1st Place 2021 Scholarship College Winner, Matthew Goodheart, has been signed as an artist with Michael Benchetrit's Minerva Artists Agency in New York! This is the agency that also manages some pretty terrific singers like Metropolitan Opera stars Jamie Barton and Nicole Cabell.
Soprano Elena Villalon (2019) was named one of 2026's Thirty Rising Stars under 30 by UK's Classic FM. In 2025-2026, she made several major debuts, including roles at the Royal Opera House and Glyndebourne Festival, having already performed with the Metropolitan Opera and at Carnegie Hall in New York City. She also sang with the Boston Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Mezzo-soprano Natalie Corrigan (2024) sang for a Master Class at Carnegie Hall for three-time Grammy winner mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato.
Nancy Fuldner Walker, memorialized by these scholarships, was a musician, music teacher and strong advocate for all music and arts organizations. She provided able leadership to Matinée Musicale for more than four decades before her death in October 2017. Matinée Musicale Cincinnati honors her legacy of support and encouragement of young musicians through these scholarships.
