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Community Corner

Berklee Lollapalooza Scholarship Awarded to Oak Park Drummer

An ongoing partnership between Lollapalooza and Berklee College of Music has resulted in scholarship awards for 10 outstanding musicians since 2011. Jackie Foster is the 2014 recipient of the Berklee Lollapalooza Endowed Scholarship, a four-year, full tuition award that brings her to Berklee in the fall. Aidan Simmons has been awarded the Berklee Lollapalooza Five-Week Scholarship to attend this summer.

The partnership also gives New York-based Berklee alumna Oyinda the opportunity to perform on one of Lollapalooza’s main stages. In addition, music business/management majors from student-run label Heavy Rotation Records will host a silent concert at Kidzapalooza.

Lollapalooza 2014 – August 1–3 at Grant Park in Chicago – is headlined by Eminem, Outkast, Kings of Leon, Arctic Monkeys, Skrillex, Lorde, and The Avett Brothers, and also features Foster the People, Lucius, and BettyWho – acts that include Berklee alumni.

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“The Berklee Lollapalooza scholarship is a natural and important extension of our long-term commitment to the arts,” said Charlie Jones, cofounder of C3 Presents, producers of Lollapalooza. “It has been an honor to partner with an institution that has trained so many artists who have played Lollapalooza in Chicago and internationally, and to create opportunities for these talented young musicians.”

“We’re thrilled that Lollapalooza, one of the biggest festival brands in world, teams up with the number one contemporary music college to bring scholarships to students who wouldn’t otherwise be able to attend our campuses in Boston and Valencia, Spain.” said Berklee professor Jeff Dorenfeld, who developed the partnership with C3 Presents.

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Berklee Lollapalooza Five-Week Scholarship

Aidan Simmons, a 17-year-old drummer from Oak Park, IL, is the recipient of the Berklee Lollapalooza Five-Week Scholarship, awarded annually to a Chicago-area musician. At the Five-Week Summer Performance Program (July 12 – August 15), he joins more than 1,000 teens from all over the world sharpening their skills in private lessons, ensembles, and concerts. 

Simmons began playing in concert band as a percussionist eight years ago. As a freshman in high school, he was placed in the school’s senior level concert band. Simmons has taken private lessons from teachers including Berklee alumni Sol Garnier and Phil Brines. He has also performed with his school’s jazz ensembles and pep band, the Oak Park River Forest jazz combo, and the Oak Park River Forest show choir.

Simmons attended Berklee’s Five-Week Summer Performance Program in 2013. “I went to discover for myself if I have what it takes to be a professional musician. This summer, I hope to gain a better understanding of myself as an artist,” said Simmons. “Like any art form, the learning process behind music never ceases. Being recognized with a scholarship is a tremendous validation of the time and effort put in to developing my skills as a musician.”

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