A sweet tune for Juilliard student
Mississauga native wins prestigious scholarship worth at least $180K
MIRIAM LAFONTAINE
A 19-year-old Mississauga trumpet player granted entry into the Juilliard School in New York won’t have to worry any longer about covering expenses for the prestigious school, after learning he was awarded a scholarship for the remainder of his studies.
William Leathers started at the music, drama and dance school in 2018 and had to rely on a GoFundMe fundraiser to cover the first two years of his bachelor’s degree in the school’s trumpet program. Last Wednesday, he learned he had been selected for the school’s Kovner scholarship, which will cover his tuition and living expenses for the remainder of his studies over the next two years.
“The Kovner is not something you can apply for, it’s only faculty that can recommend you,” his mother, Donna Leathers, told the Star.
Tuition at the school costs about $91,000 per year — totalling $364,000 for a four-year undergraduate program.
Leathers shared his excitement with his parents after reading the acceptance email on his phone. “I’d just gotten out of the shower, so I ran out with nothing but a towel,” he said.
His mother said Leathers is usually an extremely calm person. “He’s very even keel, even when he got into Julliard,” she said. “This is the most excited I’ve ever seen him in his 19 years alive.”
Leathers said there were signs indicating a scholarship could on the horizon. In his first semester, the faculty named him as a student ambassador. In December, he got placed to play principal trumpet on Copland’s Symphony No. 3 at the school’s Alice Tully Hall, and in February he earned the opportunity to play principal trumpet on Mahler’s 5th Symphony for the Juilliard Orchestra Season at Carnegie Hall.
“It’s a pretty big piece for principal trumpet. As soon as I got off the stage the principal of Juilliard shook my hand. The provost, the dean of music and the former president did as well,” he said.
Leathers posted the letter from the school on his GoFundMe soon after getting the news and thanked everyone who donated for their “generous support.”
“Kovner fellows are selected through a vigorous review process,” read the letter announcing the award. “The enthusiastic recommendation from the faculty, your record of academic and performance excellence, and your contribution to our community all made you stand out from an extremely impressive pool of candidates. “We have great faith that you will fulfil the tremendous promise we have already observed in you.”
As part of giving back, Leathers decided to record a rendition of “O Canada” on the trumpet in the backyard of his aunt’s home in the Hamilton area for elementary and high schools to use for their virtual graduation ceremonies.
Leathers moved back to his Mississauga home and began studying remotely after in-person classes at the school were closed in mid-March. He’s still waiting to learn how the fall semester will be impacted by the ongoing pandemic.