Press Releases

MONTEREY, Calif. - July 2, 2008 - Santa Catalina School in Monterey, California, is proud to announce 2008 graduate Daniella Sanchez of San Francisco, as the winner of the 32nd Annual Glenn Miller Scholarship Competition, a prestigious award to be applied to her musical education. Sanchez was awarded the Ray Eberle vocal scholarship of $4000 from the Glen Miller Birthplace Society at a ceremony held in Clarinda, Iowa on Thursday, June 12, 2008.

It was Sanchez's elegant yet confident voice in her performance of Voi Che Sapete from Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro that won her first place - out of 10 finalists - in the Glenn Miller Scholarship award. Sanchez describes this song as 'her piece,' and says she is "able to do it backwards, forwards, in my sleep and without accompaniment. This is the piece that says 'I am serious about what I do.'" She also sang Apres Une Reve by Gabriel Faure, another very challenging piece.

The Glenn Miller Birthplace Society offers $4000, $2000 and $1000 scholarships to three instrumentalists and three vocalists. Despite an oncoming cold, sleep deprivation due to her travel schedule and tornado warnings that left her sleepless the night before, Sanchez took home the highest vocalist prize. The money awarded will help Sanchez with the extra costs associated with music studies including lessons, accompanists and attendance at contests.

To apply for this scholarship, Sanchez was asked to submit a recording to the Glen Miller scholarship committee in March, as well as a statement describing how she intends to make music performance or teaching a central part of her future life. Finalists from throughout the United States traveled to Clarinda and performed a work of competition or concert quality of up to five minutes duration, sight read simple selections such as hymns or songs of the judge's choice, and sang scales, arpeggios or other technical exercises as directed by the judge.

The Glenn Miller Scholarship Competition seeks out and assists promising young talents who may be leaders of tomorrow, such as Sanchez, in any field of applied music. Scholarships are awarded to graduating high school seniors or first year college students who intend to make music a central part of their future life, and can be used for any education-related expense.

A dedicated vocalist, Sanchez completed levels five of eight of the Royal Academy Associated Board of Music examinations of England, a prestigious and rigorous examination of musical skills. Sanchez spent her senior year traveling to San Francisco and other locations across the United States for college auditions, as well as preparing for her senior recital, a collection of both old and new pieces, which included three Italian Mozart arias, and several very challenging art songs in French, German and English. Sanchez is also a poet, having had two of her poems awarded and published in the annual Carl Cherry Foundation's Monterey County High School Poetry Awards.

Sanchez is attending Oberlin College in Ohio in the fall where she plans to double major in Music and English.

### About Santa Catalina School
Santa Catalina School is dedicated to the education of young people between the ages of 4-18, giving careful consideration to the individual abilities and potential of each child. The school's mission is to balance intellectual growth with spiritual awareness, creativity with order, and individuality with compassion. Santa Catalina School is enriched by the diversity of socioeconomic, religious, geographic, and cultural backgrounds represented by students and faculty. The Upper School includes boarding students from 14 states and 9 countries. Local students come from not only the Central Coast, but also from cities as far away as Gilroy, King City, Santa Cruz, San Jose and Santa Clara. For more information visit www.santacatalina.org or call 831.655.9300