The Middlesex Hospital Vocal Chords is pleased to award scholarships every Spring to Middlesex County high school seniors pursuing music or nursing careers. With your support, we have awarded over $94,000 in scholarship money. Please join us in congratulating our recent recipients.
The Music Scholarship will now be known as the GINA FREDERICKS MUSIC SCHOLARSHIP in honor of Gina Fredericks (recently retired) who served as our Music Director for 32 years. Thank you, Gina, for your years of dedication!
COMPLETED APPLICATIONS MUST BE POSTMARKED TO THE ADDRESS ON THE APPLICATION BY: TBD. PLEASE SUBMIT ANY QUESTIONS TO diann.amici@gmail.com.
L to R: Diann Amici, Scholarship Chair; Samuel Tucker, Musical Director; Joyce Ghent, Founder/Executive Director; Lilliana Tycz, recipient graduated from Mercy High School and attending the University of CT — Nursing program. Missing from photo: Ashley Kelly, graduated from Haddam Killingworth High School and attending Eastern CT State — Nursing Program; and Evelyn Hair, graduating from Portland High School and attending Sacred Heart University — Nursing Program.
2025 Scholarship Recipients
L to R: Isabella Sparrow (graduated Middletown High and attending Endicott College in Nursing), Caitlin Walsh (graduated Portland High and attending Southern CT State University in Nursing), Joyce Ghent, Founder and Executive Director of MHVC, Samuel Tucker, Musical Director, and Diann Amici, Scholarship Chair. (Missing from photo is Ellie Sbriglio, graduated from Cromwell High and attending Univ of Virginia in Nursing.)
2024 Scholarship Recipients
L to R: Dian Amici (Scholarship Chair), Braeden Shizume, Abbey Pickel, Olivia Collins, Samuel Tucker (Musical Director), Joyce Ghent (Founder and Executive Director) and Steve DelVecchio (tenor)
Braeden Shizume – (in honor of the Gina Fredericks Music Scholarship) Nathan Hale Ray High School — attending Frost School of Music at the University of Miami Music Program
Abbey Pickel – Portland High School attending East Carolina University — nursing program
Olivia Collins – Mercy High School, attending Georgetown University — nursing program
2023 Scholarship Recipients
Mackenzie True – Graduate of Westbrook High School attending the University of Delaware in the Nursing Program
Catherine Minegar – Graduate of Old Saybrook High School attending Salve Regina in Rhode Island in the Nursing Program
Drew MacNeil – Graduate of Nathan Hale Ray High School attending the University of Connecticut in the Music Program
2022 Scholarship Recipients
Julia Farnoli – graduated from Westbrook High School and will be attending the University of Connecticut in the Nursing Program.
Madeline Keithan – graduated from Haddam-Killingworth High School and will be attending CONN College in the Music, Production/Technology Program.
2019 Scholarship Recipients
Mikayla Bruton – graduated from Valley Regional High School and will be attending the nursing program at Southern CT State University.
Emily Dell’Orfano – graduated from Coginchaug Regional High School and will be attending the music program at the University of Connecticut.
2018 Scholarship Recipients
Jordan McMillan – graduated from Morgan School in Clinton and will be attending the University of Rhode Island majoring in nursing.
Alexander Stephan – graduated from Coginchaug Regional High School in Durham and will be attending Boston University majoring in music education.
2017 Scholarship Recipients
Alyssa Diaz – graduating from Old Saybrook High School and attending Catholic University of America majoring in nursing.
Benjamin Chace – graduating from Haddam/Killingworth High School and attending Case Western Reserve University majoring in nursing.
Awards presented on May 6, 2017 ~ (from left to right) Gina Fredericks (Musical Director), Alyssa Diaz, Benjamin Chace, and Joyce Ghent, Founder (Producer and Chairperson).
2016 Scholarship Recipients
Sarah Blewett – Graduated from Haddam/Killingworth High School Attending: Salve Regina University majoring in Nursing
Gabriella St. Pierre – Graduated from Mercy High School Attending: Fairfield University majoring in Nursing
Elizabeth T. Ryan – Graduated from Nathan-Hale Ray High School Attending: Indiana University majoring in BM Oboe Performance
2015 Scholarship Recipients
Nicholas Indorf – Graduated from Xavier High Attending: Yale University; Music Performance and Pre-Med
Gabriella Varela – Graduated from Portland High Attending: Quinnipiac University’s Nursing Program
2014 Scholarship Recipients
Emily Guilmette – Graduated from Portland High Attending: University of Miami; Playing for the U of M Marching Band
Maisey Ayer – Graduated from Mercy High Attending: University of Connecticut Nursing Program
2013 Scholarship Recipients
Brooklyn Gonzales – Graduated from Mercy High Attending: Fairfield University
Alexandra Horwitz – Graduated from Cromwell High Attending: Ohio State University
Kimberly Nowakowski – Graduated from East Hampton High Attending: Villanova University
2012 Scholarship Recipients
Awards are presented each year at the Middlesex Hospital Vocal Chords’s Spring Concert held at Portland High School. Three of the four winners were able to accept their awards on May 21, 2012 ~ (from left to right) Catherine Perrotti, Elizabeth Konefal, and Matthew Chiu. Parents of Andrew Satterberg, who could not attend the May 19th concert, were present to accept his grant.
2011 Scholarship Recipients
Awards are presented each year at the Middlesex Hospital Vocal Chords’s Spring Concert held at Portland High School. Three of the five winners were able to accept their awards on May 21, 2011 ~ (from left to right) Kaitlyn Passons, Nathan Fletcher and Kristina Unikewicz.
Nathan Fletcher ~ graduated from Middletown High Attending the University of Connecticut majoring in Music Education.
Kathryn Rogers ~ graduated from Mercy High Attending the University of Delaware majoring in Nursing.
Laura Hargreaves ~ graduated from Coginchaug Regional High; Attending St. Anselm College majoring in Nursing.
Kaitlyn Passons ~ graduated from Middletown High; Attending Western CT State University majoring in Music Education.
Kristina Unikewicz ~ graduated from Mercy High; Attending the University of Vermont majoring in Nursing.
Middlesex Hospital Vocal Chords 