A unique charitable gift from longtime University of Miami benefactors E. Roe Stamps IV (a UM trustee) and his wife, Penny, significantly enhances the undergraduate program at the University of Miami Frost School of Music.
Through their generosity, the Frost School now has the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation Music Scholarship Fund.
The Fund will allow the Frost School of Music to attract top student musicians who as part of their curricular program will form very special chamber ensembles. These exceptional young artists will advance together throughout their studies at UM.
Stamps Jazz Quintet
In the first year, a group of five exceptional freshmen will participate in a jazz quintet.
Stamps String Quartet
In year two, four more highly talented freshman will be admitted to study and participate in a string quartet.
Stamps Woodwind Quintet
Five additional stellar freshman will be selected to participate in a woodwind quintet in the third year, and
Stamps Brass Quintet
Five more outstanding freshman will participate in a brass quintet in the fourth year.
Resources from both the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation and the University of Miami will fully fund tuition, plus room and board for a total of 19 music students. As part of their experience, students will receive career guidance and take part in artist-building activities. During their studies, they will attend special master classes, obtain high-level mentoring, record music, and play and tour for key performance opportunities.
The Frost School of Music has developed various initiatives, classes and programs that are distinctive in higher education. The School’s innovation, combined with its traditional areas of concentration, offers its students one of the widest choices of career programs of any music school in the nation.
This new scholarship fund reinforces the Frost School’s pragmatic leadership position among its peers. It re-imagines what a music curriculum IS, by helping to create entrepreneurial units among its students and improve their professional skill sets. More notably, the program will prepare students for a career in music by giving them access to the world of music.
“Thanks to the generosity of Roe and Penny Stamps, the Frost School is able to offer a singular opportunity for top music students to prepare for brilliant futures. This learning experience may also lead to the students continuing to collaborate professionally in the future,” said Shelly Berg, Dean of the Frost School of Music.
Roe and Penny Stamps have devoted significant time and resources to philanthropic causes in the South Florida community. In 2003, the couple established the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation Distinguished Visitor Series at the Frost School.
“Penny and I are very excited to work with Dean Berg and the Frost School on this program,” Mr. Stamps said. “We can’t wait to see the groups perform together at the University of Miami and in their careers after graduation.”
This innovative combination of funding and real-world experience will help attract the most talented musicians across the country to the Frost School of Music. The undergraduate students will collaborate on both jazz and classical platforms – marking this a one-of-a-kind program.
