Five Winthrop Music Students Win International Scholarships

ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – An astounding five Winthrop University music students have landed International Trumpet Guild scholarships.

Thanks to those scholarships, Olivia Clifton of Summerville, S.C., Will Isenhour of Clover, S.C., Riley Lazar of Anderson, S.C., Michael Mott of Stanley, N.C., and Lilie Robles Smith of Greenville, S.C., will attend the 48th Annual Trumpet Guild Conference May 27-31 in Salt Lake City, Utah. They’ll also receive a travel stipend and entry to the awards ceremony.

The conference will feature world-class performances, clinics and exhibitors. Each year, students from around the world send in videos of their trumpet performances in hopes of securing a scholarship.

It’s a two-time honor for Clifton and Isenhour, who won the scholarship last year as well.

Just last month, the five students, along with fellow musicians Josh Frye and Nathan Brown, traveled to Fort Worth, Texas, to compete in the live rounds of the National Trumpet Competition (NTC), a first in school history. Winthrop’s ensemble was also the only collegiate ensemble from South Carolina.

The NTC is the largest and most prestigious competition for trumpet players in the United States.

“It was great,” Trumpet Instructor Marisa Youngs said of the experience. “The students performed very well, and I was so proud of their performance. They were one of the youngest ensembles in the competition!”

For more information, contact Nicole Chisari, social media manager, at 803/323-2403 or [email protected].