Recipients of the Johnny Trombly Scholarship Fund since the Fund’s inception are:
The Monadnock Folklore Society announces the 2022 first quarter scholarship recipient.
2022 Qtr 1 recipient John Mitchell
John Mitchell of Keene, NH, has been awarded the first scholarship of 2022. Mitchell is a Keene High School sophomore who began playing violin in third grade through the Keene Elementary Strings program, he is in his 8th year of playing violin and currently plays with the Keene High School orchestra. John enjoys mountain biking, bush-crafting, and camping. John states, “The old-fashion style of bush-craft has helped spark my interest in New England folk music through stories and books. The stories that I have read included tales about native New Englanders spending time in the woods and listening to fiddle music.” John will continue his study under NH State Council on the Arts, 2021 Governor’s Arts Award recipient Randy Miller, with a focus on traditional New England fiddle music.
The Monadnock Folklore Society announces two 2021 first quarter scholarship recipients.
2021 Qtr 1 recipient Natalia Blanchard
Natalia Blanchard of Nelson NH. Natalia started her music career in the Nelson Strings program, held at Nelson School. Natalia has loved music from a young age, and was counting down the days until she was old enough to participate in the strings program. She fell in love with the fiddle and has played for four years. Natalia takes voice lessons, loves reading, hiking, biking and camp, and is interested in foraging, plant and animal identification. During the pandemic cooking, baking and gardening have become a hobby. Soccer and gymnastics are non-pandemic activities. She is very excited for the Nelson contra dances to resume and is thrilled to continue learning fiddle and hopes to play at future dances. Natalia will be studying with Becky Tracy of Brattleboro, VT.
2021 Qtr 1 recipient Lucca Pozzi
Lucca Pozzi of Windham, VT. Lucca plays ukulele, but his instrument of choice is piano. He has been taking music lessons for seven years studying jazz, classical and his passion, traditional dance music. Besides playing music, Lucca also enjoys composing music, constructing and riding on mountain bike trails. An avid outdoorsman he enjoys hiking, x-country skiing, snowboarding, soccer and basketball. If that isn’t enough, Lucca draws and makes stop-motion videos with Lego for his YouTube channel. He is a junior counselor at Meadows Bee Farm, teaching and supporting younger budding farmers. Raised bilingually Lucca is fluent in German. Lucca will be studying piano and hopes to attend the Traditional Youth Camp put on by the Brattleboro Music Center.
2019/2020 recipient Roisin Lawlor
Roisin Lawlor, 2019 & 2020 Scholarship recipient, is a student at Bishop Brady High School in Concord, New Hampshire. She is a pianist, artist, and participates in chorus, swim team, and lacrosse team. Roisin studies at the Concord Community Music School with Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki. Music is her passion and hopes that it brings others as much joy as it does her.
2019 recipient Fiona Goodman
Fiona Goodman of Brattleboro, VT is the first awardee of 2019. Fiona plays classical and traditional violin, (since age seven) as well as oboe and piano.. She attends Keith Murphy and Becky Tracy’s Celtic youth classes and Traditional Music and Arts camp yearly, and the Celtic Mega Band every spring. Screenwriting, Irish mythology, folklore, travel and kickboxing all interest her. Fiona is a sophomore at Brattleboro Union High School and plans to use the scholarship to continue studying with Murphy & Tracy.
2017 recipient Elias Elliot
The Monadnock Folklore Society, a 501-(c)(3) non-profit organization, is pleased to announce that Elias Elliot, age 17 of Keene, NH is the 2017 Johnny Trombly Memorial Scholarship recipient.
Eliot has been playing piano for four years, and also plays accordion. He regularly attends a weekly contra dance jam session. When not playing traditional dance music or in school, Elias participates in historical reenactments. The Johnny Trombly Memorial Scholarship will enable Elias to expand his study by attending Maine Fiddle Camp.
2015 recipient Will Huntley
The Monadnock Folklore Society, a 501-(c)(3) non-profit organization, is pleased to announce that Will Huntley, age 13 of Marlow, NH is the 2015 Johnny Trombly Memorial Scholarship recipient. The Johnny Trombly Memorial Scholarship fund was established in 2001 to support and encourage young musicians interested in playing piano or other instruments for traditional New England dance music, an American dance music form that includes contra-dance and square dance music.
Will has been playing fiddle for 6 years, studying under Randy Miller for the past 4 years. In addition to fiddle, he has had 7 years of piano lessons. He has played at Nelson Monday Night dances, events for the Surry Village Charter School and a variety of other venues. Will also enjoys performing in musical theater at MOCO, reading, skiing and playing outdoors. This summer he will perform at an Orchard Hill Breadworks Pizza Night.
The Johnny Trombly Scholarship fund award will pay for Will to attend the Maine Fiddle Camp in Montville, ME and will help him continue his weekly lessons with Randy Miller.
2014 recipient Everest Witman
The Monadnock Folklore Society, a 501-(c)(3) non-profit organization, is pleased to announce that Everest Witman, age 15 of Brattleboro, VT is the 2014 Johnny Trombly Memorial Scholarship recipient.The Johnny Trombly Memorial Scholarship fund was established in 2001 to support and encourage young musicians interested in playing piano or other instruments for traditional New England dance music, an American dance music form that includes contra-dance and square dance music.
Everest Witman is 15 and has been playing DADGAD guitar for 5 years, studying guitar with Keith Murphy and musicianship under fiddler Lissa Schneckenburger. He plays for contradances and concerts all over New England with his bands Jokers Wild, Dragonfly, and Nova, and teaches lessons from his home in Brattleboro, Vermont. Everest also plays piano, bass, and accordion. He has attended a variety of music camps, loves contra dancing, and does volunteer sound for the Brattleboro Contra Dance. When he’s not playing music, Everest, a life-long homeschooler, is pursuing his associate’s degree in STEM with a focus in computer science. The Johnny Trombly Memorial Scholarship will enable Everest to expand his study of contradance guitar with a variety of different teachers.
2013 recipient Taylor Dupuis
The Monadnock Folklore Society, a 501-(c)(3) non-profit organization, is pleased to announce that Taylor Dupuis, age 15 of Mont Vernon, NH is the 2013 Johnny Trombly Memorial Scholarship recipient.
The Johnny Trombly Memorial Scholarship fund was established in 2001 to support and encourage young musicians interested in playing piano or other instruments for traditional New England dance music, an American dance music form that includes contra-dance and square dance music.
Taylor has been playing fiddle for 8 years, and guitar for 2 years as well as mandolin. She currently has two music students and hopes to become a music teacher and to study in Scotland. She plays in local Contra Dance bands, loves to read, plays basketball and softball but most of all she loves playing music and doesn’t like to put her fiddle down. She was instrumental in bringing live music to her high school dance class this year. The Johnny Trombly Scholarship fund award will pay for Taylor to attend the Maine Fiddle camp in Montville, ME.
In 2012, the Johnny Trombly Scholarship had co-recipients.
2012 co-recipient Samuel Foucher
The Monadnock Folklore Society, a 501-(c)(3) non-profit organization, is pleased to announce that Samuel Foucher, age 15 of Harrisville, NH is the 2012 Johnny Trombly Memorial Scholarship co-recipient.
Samuel has been playing piano for 5 years, and accordion for 3 years as well as playing tin whistle and fife. He has attended several music camps, most recently the Maine Fiddle camp in Montville, ME. Samuel has played at the Peterborough Farmers Market accompanied by his sister, as well as various other venues. He is currently one of the musicians for the Harrisville Morris Women dance team. When not playing music, he enjoys reading and building projects from Make Magazine as well as wood and metal working, soldering electronic circuits and computer programming. The Johnny Trombly Scholarship fund award has paid for lessons with Bob McQuillen, 2002 NEA National Heritage Fellow, contra dance musician and composer.
2012 co-recipient Sarah Foucher
The Monadnock Folklore Society, a 501-(c)(3) non-profit organization, is pleased to announce that Sarah Foucher, age 14 of Harrisville, NH is the 2012 Johnny Trombly Memorial Scholarship co-recipient.
Sarah has been playing fiddle for 6 years, studying under Elaina Del Rossi, she is currently learning mandolin and wishes to play guitar. She has attended several music camps, most recently the Maine Fiddle camp in Montville, ME. Sarah has played at the Peterborough Farmers Market accompanied by her brother, as well as various other venues. When not being home schooled she enjoys drawing, reading, and ballet dancing. The Johnny Trombly Scholarship fund award has paid for lessons with Brattleboro based Lisa Schneckenburger.
2011 recipient Cecilia Bryan
The Monadnock Folklore Society, a 501-(c)(3) non-profit organization, is pleased to announce that Cecilia Bryan, age 15 of Richmond, NH is the 2011 Johnny Trombly Memorial Scholarship recipient.
The Johnny Trombly Memorial Scholarship fund was established in 2001 to support and encourage young musicians interested in playing piano or other instruments for traditional New England dance music, an American dance music form that includes contra-dance and square dance music.
Cecilia has been playing fiddle for 2 1/2 years, studying under Ethan Hazard-Watkins, she also has been playing piano for 6 ½ years. The Johnny Trombly Scholarship fund
assisted Cecilia in attending a workshop with Keene based Lisa Schneckenburger and
lessons with Ethan Hazzard-Watkins.
2010 recipient Douglas Brunson
Douglas Brunson is a 13-year-old, home-schooled 8th grader who started playing piano at the age of five and accordion at age eight. Douglas has studied with Sylvia Miskoe of Concord, NH and Jeremiah McLane of Sharon, VT. He is a charter member of the New Hampshire Accordion Association and a member of the Strathspey and Reel Society of NH. He comes from a musical family and continues to develop his talent for bringing people together through the traditional music of Scotland and New England.
2009 recipient Perin Ellsworth-Heller 
Thunderous applause hoots and hollers of contra dancers echoed in the vaulted ceiling of this gracious space, known as the Stone Church at the Brattleboro, Vermont contra dance on Sunday June 14th
Dancers were showing their appreciation for fiddler Perin Ellsworth-Heller and pianist Arthur Davis, two extraordinary young musicians (ages 14 and 16 respectively), and their mentor, Mary Lea.
Adding to the excitement of the evening was the fact that Perin had just been selected as the recipient of the 2009 Johnny Trombly Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship, sponsored by the Monadnock Folklore Society, provides funding for an individual under the age of 18 to study traditional music.
Perin is a student of Mary Lea, one of New England’s most renown fiddlers and teachers. Mary says “Perin has already played some dances for [dance caller] Nils Fredland, who was Perin’s music teacher and mentor at the Waldorf School. Nils and I have constantly marveled at Perin’s sophisticated musicality, which seems to have arrived full-blown like Athena out of Zeus’s head.”
The scholarship will allow Perin to go to Ashokan Northern Week this summer. In addition to his teacher Mary, other fiddle luminaries on the staff include Laurie Hart, Peter Puma Hedlund, David Kaynor, Lissa Schneckenburger, Andrew and Noah VanNorstrand, and Jay Ungar (not to mention a plethora of instructors other instruments, and his fellow campers). Perin is looking forward to expanding his repertoire, and at the same time learning new fiddle styles. He notes, for example, that in the course of learning some Swedish tunes (which are prominent in the week’s offerings), he will need to learn some new techniques.
Perin has already attended workshops with Jerry Holland and the Ceilidh Trail School of Music in Cape Breton. He has traveled to Newfoundland to attend the North Atlantic Fiddle Convention in St. Johns. His other interests include reading, mushrooming, and figuring out how computers work. According to his mother, Sarah, “he is also an excellent and inventive cook. His spaghetti sauce with cranberries is excellent! Believe it or not, Perin doesn’t like to dance–but he loves getting people dancing. He plays frequently in the late afternoon and I often end up dancing while making dinner.”
As has been the tradition with past recipients of the Trombly Scholarship, Perin will be performing at the Monadnock Folklore Society Winter Solstice celebration in December (date TBD), but we also expect to hear him occasionally at the Monday night dance during the summer.
2007 Trombly recipient Matthew Christian of North Bennington, Vermont is a talented young man with an interest in both classical and traditional music. He plays a variety of instruments from the violin and viola to the oboe, tin whistle and bagpipes. He has participated in both youth orchestras and a pipe band. Matthew’s desire was to attend the Northeast Heritage music camp at Johnson State College thus strengthening his strong interest in the connection between New England’s dance music and traditional Scottish/Irish repertoire.
In 2006, the Trombly Scholarship committee was faced with the largest and most competitive applicant pool since the inception of the award and for only the second time in the history of the Scholarship two awards were made.
Riley Goodmote, of Brattleboro, Vermont, expressed a desire to combine his love of Celtic dance music with the heritage of his home region. A student at the Brattleboro High School, Riley plays trombone and alto saxophone, sings, and has been active in both band and choral groups. He also plays Irish tin whistle and has been involved in music of one sort or another for the last seven years.Riley’s scholarship will enable him to study mandolin with nationally known New England dance musician Keith Murphy. The committee was impressed with Riley’s strong musical skills and felt that his creativity, aptitude, and clear interest in the roots and importance of local traditions were an excellent match for the Trombly Scholarship. We look forward to hearing him perform at the 2006 Nelson Solstice Concert in December.
Shona Sanford-Long of South Royalton, Vermont has studied both classical violin and traditional fiddling technique for several years and plays with the Vermont Fiddle Orchestra in Montpelier. She has studied fiddle with Beth Telford for about five years, and has participated in workshops with Cape Breton Master fiddler Jerry Holland.
Shona plans to use her award to continue her studies in fiddle and to attend workshops related to contra dance musicianship with master musicians Jeremiah McLane, Sara Blair and others. The Committee was impressed with Shona’s musical background, clear engagement in traditional music (and dance), and her interest in the historical roots of our regional musical traditions. We look forward to hearing Shona at area dances in the near future.
2005 Trombly recipient Tracy Lafleur of Amherst, NH recently begun studying mandolin with well known mandolin and guitar master David Surrette. Tracy gave a wonderful performance at the 2005 Nelson Solstice event – on a mandolin she built herself! Here she is – with that very mandolin. She has begun work on a second instrument and can be heard and seen on the stage and the dance floor at the Nelson Town Hall Monday night dances.
The 2004 Trombly Scholarship award was awarded to William Allen of Milford. Will plays the small (Scottish) pipes and in his application described the strong ties between the Scottish traditions and New England dance music. The audience at the annual MFS Solstice party in December 2004 was delighted to hear Will’s playing!
In 2003 two scholarships were awarded: to Isabella Kosmacher of Keene and Clare Margand of Richmond. Both used the scholarship award to study fiddle and both have been actively pursuing opportunities to play for dancing!
While the work to establish a full endowment for the Trombly Scholarship continues, the awarding of scholarships began in 2002. The first recipient was flautist Susanna LaDouceur of Wilton, NH. With her teacher, Tamara Harper, also of Wilton, Susanna spent six months exploring contra dance music.