The Hansen Music Fellowship

2015-2016 Hansen Fellows

An extraordinary fellowship for two extraordinary freshmen

Program Overview

The Hansen Fellowship Program provides funding to selected undergraduate students for musical experiences vital to students’ long-term advancement. From travel, to music summer training programs, to recording and performance opportunities, Hansen Fellows will be uniquely and more impressively prepared for their musical careers. There is no other program like this throughout the country. Hansen Fellows are given extraordinary opportunities for professional development that are more typical for master's and doctoral study. 

Each year, two entering freshman students in the College of Musical Arts will be designated as Hansen Fellows. Students awarded the Hansen Fellowship will be the most talented and is expected they will be of a top academic and musical caliber. Hansen Fellows will receive an additional stipend of $1,000 annually, plus generous monetary allocations to cover the expenses of their four-year program of fellowship activities.

Year 1 $1,000 stipend and up to $2,000 summer experience $3,000
Year 2 $1,000 stipend and up to $1,000 master class/lessons $2,000
Year 3 $1,000 stipend and up to $1,000 commissioning project  $2,000
Year 4 $1,000 stipend and up to $3,000 recording/performance $4,000
  Total value of Hansen Fellowship   $11,000

Eligibility

To be eligible for the Hansen Fellowship, students must perform a successful BGSU audition and be nominated by an applied faculty member. Criteria for consideration are listed below.

Demonstration of exceptional musical performance through BGSU audition and related performance activity

Acceptance to BGSU and the College of Musical Arts as a music major by March 1

Minimum TOEFL score of 71 (for International Students)

Nomination by BGSU applied faculty member

Interview Process

Once a student is nominated for the fellowship, they will be contacted by the Hansen Fellowship Committee (HFC) for additional information. Students nominated will be required to submit a video audition recording with the same repertoire performed for their BGSU audition, a letter of recommendation, and complete an interview with members of the HFC. Interviews may be conducted in person or through Skype or other technology.

Notification

The Dean of the College of Musical Arts will notify students selected for the Hansen Fellowship by April 1.

Application Submission

Email the completed application form as an attachment to Dr. Andrew Pelletier, Chair of Music Performance Studies at the College of Musical Arts; meltonl@bgsu.edu

 
For information about the application process, prospective freshmen should contact:
Dr. Andrew Pelletier, chair
Music Performance Studies
College of Musical Arts
Bowling Green State University
Moore Musical Arts Center
Bowling Green, OH 43403
pandrew@bgsu.edu

Meet our current Hansen Fellows

picture of Amanda Withrow
Amanda Withrow is an oboist majoring in Music Performance at Bowling Green State University, studying with Mr. Dwight Perry (BM expected Spring 2023).

Amanda Withrow is an oboist majoring in Music Performance at Bowling Green State University, studying with Mr. Dwight Parry (BM expected Spring 2023). She studied with Dr. Nermis Mieses from 2019-2022. In 2019, she was a member of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra with whom she toured Europe; she also was principal oboe of the 2019 OMEA All State Orchestra. At BGSU, Amanda performs in Philharmonia and chamber ensembles, serves as Treasurer of the Double Reed Club, and runs social media to maintain oboe studio visibility and engagement with prospective students. She has performed in masterclasses with Reid Messich, Euridice Alvarez, Tim Gocklin, and Pedro Diaz while seeking further learning opportunities from oboists such as Nancy Ambrose King, Frank Rosenwein, and Eugene Izotov. She has attended the MasterWorks Summer Festival since 2020. After graduating, Amanda plans to attend graduate school, perform in an orchestra, and teach.

picture of Phoebe Saboley
Phoebe Saboley is currently an undergraduate student at Bowling Green State University studying music education. At BGSU, she studies horn with Dr. Andrew Pelletier and has performed in the Wind Symphony and Horn Club.

Phoebe Saboley is an undergraduate student at Bowling Green State University studying Music Education. She studies horn with Dr. Andrew Pelletier and performs in the Wind Symphony, BG Philharmonia, BG Horn Club, and Volare. She is currently the President of the BG Horn Club and is looking forward to attending the 55th Annual International Horn Symposium with the group in the summer of 2023. Outside of the College of Musical Arts, Phoebe is the Music Director of AcousChicks A Cappella, a student run a cappella group on campus that competes in the International Championships of Collegiate A Cappella. In her spare time, she teaches private lessons to a handful of beginning and intermediate horn students. With the generous funding from the Hansen Family, Phoebe has been able to travel across the country to meet with potential professors for future studies. In her remaining time as a Hansen Fellow, Phoebe hopes to travel to and compete at the International Women’s Brass Conference, commission a piece for solo horn, and study at a summer music festival abroad. After graduating, Phoebe plans to pursue graduate studies in Horn Performance and Brass Pedagogy.

Picture of Abigail Petersen
Abigail Petersen is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music at Bowling Green State University, studying Piano Performance under Dr. Yevgeny Yontov.

Abigail Petersen is currently pursuing degrees in Music Performance and Latin, studying piano under Dr. Yevgeny Yontov. Originally from Wisconsin, she was a finalist in the BGSU 54th Annual Competitions in Music Performance and an alternate in the MTNA Performance Competition. Abigail is an alumna of the Brevard Music Center, where she studied under Professor Norman Krieger and Professor Michael Chertock. She has also performed in masterclasses for distinguished pianists including Robert McDonald, Terrence Wilson, and Jie Chen. The 2022 recipient of the C. Elizabeth Cobb Memorial Scholarship for her efforts in collaborative piano, Abigail joined clarinetist Justin Brown and cellist Joshua Lyphout – also Class of 2025 Hansen Fellows – in the Hansen Trio, the second-place ensemble in the 15th Annual Douglas Wayland Chamber Music Competition. Abigail is also a Presidential Scholar in the BGSU Honors College and a sister of the Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity.

Picture of Kamryn McCrory
Kamryn McCrory is a cellist majoring in Music Education at Bowling Green State University, studying with Dr. Brian Snow, DMA.

Kamryn McCrory is a cellist majoring in Music Education at Bowling Green State University, studying with Dr. Brian Snow, DMA. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Kamryn has participated in and been a valued member of numerous music-oriented programs. In 2018, Kamryn was offered a position in the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra with whom she toured Europe upon graduation. Recently, Kamryn has professionally recorded and performed American composer Augusta Reed Thomas’s Rainbow Bridge to Paradise for Solo Violoncello for BGSU’s New Music Festival in October 2020. She has also performed and worked with many members of The Cleveland Orchestra such as cellists Brian Thornton, David Alan Harrell, Richard Weiss, Tanya Ell, and violinists and pianist Isabel Trautwein and Carolyn Warner. After graduation, Kamryn hopes to teach K-8 instrumental strings and conduct her own beginning string orchestra.

picture of Liz Mathiesen
Liz Mathiesen is a cellist and composer from Stroudsburg, PA. She is currently studying under Dr. Brian Snow on cello and Dr. Marilyn Shrude in composition.

Liz Mathiesen (she/her) is a cellist and composer majoring in Music Education. With her Hansen funding so far, Liz revisited Brevard Music Center in North Carolina (after first attending in 2019) and started pursuing a certification from the Suzuki Association of the Americas. Funding aside, Liz is using her years at BGSU to settle into the role of an accomplished educator and community leader. Liz teaches a private cello studio of three students and has spent the last couple years exploring her newfound passions for restorative agriculture, activism, and self-sufficiency. While Liz is devoted to the study of her musical crafts, Liz is concentrating her current efforts on skill development and community outreach outside the musical sphere—like with her most recent project, Liz’s Crochet Studio (IG: @lizscrochetstudio), where she sells her own handmade goods to raise money for women’s healthcare initiatives.

picture of Steven Naylor
Isabella Brill is pianist from Brazil currently majoring in Piano Performance in the College of Musical Arts at Bowling Green State University, studying under Dr. Solungga Liu.

Isabella Brill is pianist from Brazil currently majoring in Piano Performance in the College of Musical Arts at Bowling Green State University, studying under Dr. Solungga Liu. She began her studies at age 6 in her first school in Brazil. In 2016, she joined the Extension Course in Musical Instruments in the Federal University from Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil, to study under Dr. Cristina Capparelli Gerling. Since 2017, she has participated in national piano competitions, having won the 1st place and best interpretation of a Brazilian piece in the Cora Pavan Capparelli competition in 2017 and 2019. She also received other prizes in several national competitions in Brazil. Isabella participated in the main orchestra in her school, with whom she went on a European tour in 2016. Isabella dances ballet, is proficient in English and German, and currently studies French. She hopes to study at summer music festivals abroad, participate in many masterclasses with great musicians, and perform as much as she can during her time here in Ohio.

picture of Justin Brown
Justin Brown is a clarinetist pursing a BM in Music Performance at Bowling Green State University. He is currently studying under Professor Kevin Schempf and performs in the BGSU Philharmonia.

Justin Brown is a clarinetist pursing a BM in Music Performance at Bowling Green State University, studying under Professor Kevin Schempf and Professor Georg Klaas. He performs with the BG Philharmonia and has previously performed with the Concert Band and various other chamber ensembles. This past summer, Justin participated in the Aria International Summer Academy, and studied under clarinetists Steven Cohen and Ron Samuels, among other faculty. In the Spring of 2022, Justin participated in the Douglas Wayland Chamber Music Competition at BGSU and received 1st and 2nd prize as a member of the Kairos Reed Quintet and the Hansen Trio respectively. Justin has had previous masterclass and lesson experience with Alexander Fiterstein, Daniel Silver, Ixi Chen and Ralph Skiano. Justin Brown hopes to attend graduate school upon completion of his Bachelor’s Degree and perform in an orchestra or military band.

picture of Joshua Lyphout
Joshua Lyphout is a cellist majoring in Music Performance at Bowling Green State University studying under Dr. Brian Snow (BM expected Spring ‘25).

Joshua Lyphout (b. 2003) is currently studying at Bowling Green State University under Dr. Brian Snow (BM Music Performance 2025). An accomplished young cellist and avid proponent of contemporary music, Lyphout has premiered dozens of new works by young composers. He has performed in masterclasses for Andrei Ioniță, Susan Babini, Kivie Cahn-Lipman, and Kahri Joyner. At BGSU, Lyphout performs with the BG Philharmonia, Early Music Ensemble, New Music Ensemble, Cello Ensemble, and various student chamber ensembles. Recent performances have included four premiers for chamber ensembles at the Brevard Music Center, a performance of Haydn's C Major cello concerto with the BGSU Early Music Ensemble on a period Baroque Cello, and a recital of works by Brahms, Britten, and Muczynski. In 2022, Lyphout attended Brevard Music Center with the help of the Hansen Fellowship, and plans on using future funding for commissioning new works from young composers.

Updated: 07/19/2023 04:06PM