Our friends with the Grand Master Fiddler Championship have asked us to remind everyone that applications for their sixth annual Matthew Thomas Lin Memorial Scholarship are due by August 15.
The $1,000 award is given in honor of Matthew Lin, the 2014 Grand Master Youth Champion who died at only 19 years of age in 2020. He was not only widely regarded as an outstanding musician on his way up, but also as a terrific individual in general. Also an accomplished student and athlete, Matthew was notable for his service to his community as a scout leader, a musical mentor, and a peer instructor in his engineering school at the University of Kentucky.
The scholarship is for student violinists or fiddlers, who fit the following qualifications:
- Applicants should be currently enrolled in a public or private high school, homeschool, or an accredited two-or-four-year college, university, or vocational-technical school in the US, Canada, or Puerto Rico that is exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
- Applicants should be current residents of the United States, Canada, or Puerto Rico.
- Students should have a cumulative, unweighted grade point average of 2.5.
More information and scholarship applications can be found online, along with more details about what the judges are seeking.
The 2026 Grand Master Fiddle Championship is scheduled for September 13 at The Turner Theater at The Factory in Franklin, TN. It’s the place to be for fine fiddling from top players!
