The Kotzschmar Memorial Trust Scholarship was established in 1911 to “aid in the musical education of  such pupil or pupils, of marked ability…”

ELIGIBILITY: Any student of the pipe organ, piano, orchestral instrument, or classical voice who lives in one of the following Maine counties: Cumberland, York, Oxford, Sagadahoc, or Androscoggin and who is at least 10 years old and not older than 25 years old. Applicants will be separated into three groups, including: pre-high school (before grade 9), high school (grades 9-12) and college/graduate (post-high school) applicants. Immediate family members of staff and board members of FOKO are disallowed from applying.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS: All applicants must submit the following:

1. Completed online application form.

2. Audition Repertoire Selections. Selections listed should include standard solo repertoire and should represent two contrasting musical styles. Performance of the entire composition in multi-movement works is not required; however, an entire movement must be presented. The prepared performance should be approximately 8 minutes in length before grade 9, and 12 minutes in length for grades 9 and older. Voice applicants should submit at least three songs and should include at least two languages.

3. Recorded audition of at least one work. Recording should include standard solo repertoire and should have been recorded in the past year. Chosen repertoire can overlap with pieces on the applicant’s Audition Repertoire List, or not. Please make sure there is NO editing or splicing of recordings. Recordings on smart phones or other easily available devices are completely acceptable, and teachers may accompany students on the recording. The applicant should announce their name, age, and title of piece at the beginning of the recording. Recordings should be uploaded into YouTube.com as a "Private" Visibility or vimeo.com with Privacy as "Unlisted" to create a secure upload. Share the link in the appropriate spot below.

4. A written list of solo repertoire studied and/or performed during the past year. Please email your list of repertoire from the past year to this email address with the subject line "Scholarship Application Repertoire List."

5. A non-refundable application fee of $20.00 made payable to FOKO. Waivers for the application fee are available as needed. Please email director@foko.org to request an application fee waiver. To pay your application fee, please visit https://foko.org/support/, or send a $20 check to Friends of the Kotzschmar Organ, PO Box 7455 Portland, Maine 04112.

DEADLINE: All applications must be submitted online by Saturday, April 1, 2023.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE: Applications will be reviewed and applicants will be contacted by Saturday, April 8, 2023 if they have been selected to participate in the live competition on Saturday, April 22, 2023. Participants must provide their own accompanists. An applicant’s private music instructor may not accompany their students in the live competition. An accompanist will be available for competition, and his/her fee of $55, which covers one half hour of rehearsal plus the competition, is provided by the applicant. (On a limited, as-needed basis, accompanist cost--with the provided accompanist--may be covered by FOKO. Email director@foko.org to request by April 12, 2023.) 3 copies of each score selection must be provided for the committee. 

AWARD: Up to $2,000 will be shared among the applicants chosen by the Scholarship Awards Committee based on the following criteria: Musicianship, age appropriate technical skill level, musicality, and  deportment. The amount of the award(s) and the number of recipients selected will be at the discretion of  the Scholarship Awards Committee. Decisions of the Scholarship Awards Committee are final. Auditions  will be closed to the public. Scholarship winners may be invited to perform at a Scholarship Winners Performance at a later date.

SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS COMMITTEE: The Scholarship Awards Committee will consist of prominent musicians selected from one or more of the music organizations established in the Greater  Portland area.