Support for Their Dreams
Scholarship gifts are critical in offering talented young artists the chance to study at Juilliard. Many who support our young artists have chosen to extend their impact by including scholarship gifts in their estate plans. One such generous individual was Mel Silverman, a longtime Juilliard supporter, WWII veteran, and proud scholarship donor. He experienced much joy in meeting his scholarship recipients over the years, and was a frequent and devoted presence at Juilliard performances. During his lifetime, he established five endowed scholarships at Juilliard and helped numerous young people to achieve their dreams.
Last year, a gift from Silverman's will further strengthened his scholarships, and his wonderful generosity will continue to make performing arts education possible for young people from around the world. In the 2019-20 academic year, a violinist from Oregon, a tenor from Ecuador, a soprano from Maryland, a dancer from Iowa, and an actor from Washington, D.C., were able to train at Juilliard thanks, in large part, to the scholarships that Silverman established.
One of the fortunate scholarship recipients wrote in a 2018 letter to Silverman, "I took a leap of faith and applied to Juilliard. I was overjoyed when I received an invitation to audition and was over the moon when I got the acceptance letter. My family realized that financing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was going to be an impossible challenge. However, Juilliard offered me a scholarship that would make this dream possible. It is thanks to people like you that my dreams, and those of my family, are coming true." Juilliard is deeply grateful to Mel Silverman for what he has done, and will continue to do, for generations of students.
You, too, can support the dreams and aspirations of a Juilliard student with the gift of scholarship. To learn how, contact Lori Padua at (212) 799-5000, ext. 7152 or lpadua@juilliard.edu.
