Dave Brubeck Composer & Pianist Scholarship
Presented in coordination with JEN (Jazz Education Network) and the Brubeck Living Legacy (BLL) Foundation, The Dave Brubeck Composer and Pianist Scholarship is awarded to a collegiate-level student in the field of jazz, with a focus on composition and/or piano.
The winner of this prestigious scholarship will receive the following:
$1,000 financial award
The book, “Dave Brubeck: A Life in Time,” by Philip Clark
A collection of Dave Brubeck recordings.
Registration for the next Jazz Education Network (JEN) conference in January.
Designated mentor throughout the January conference.
$250 per diem for meals throughout the conference.
4 nights hotel lodging during the conference (reserved by the Jazz Education Network).
Roundtrip flight + taxi/car pickup to/from airport arranged by the Jazz Education Network.
One-year full individual Jazz Education Network membership.
Applications open January 1 – April 15, 2026
DAVE BRUBECK LIVING LEGACY SCHOLARSHIP ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
Applicants must be a collegiate-level student attending classes in the fall semester in the field of jazz with a focus on composition and/or piano.
Uploaded audition should include an original composition.
Required attendance at the next conference in January.
APPLICATION MATERIALS REQUIRED:
A written statement of artistic and professional goals and reason for application.
Three (3) audio and/or video uploads of applicant playing. One upload should be an of an original composition.
One Letter of Recommendation (LOR).
Application Deadline:
April 15, 2026
Have questions? Contact Dan Gregerman, JEN Scholarships Coordinator, dan.gregerman@jazzednet.org
PAST SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
2025 Scholarship Recipient
Jiayi Guo:
Jiayi Guo is a 20 year old uprising Hong Kong-born pianist, composer and bandleader currently finishing her studies of jazz piano performance and composition at the Berklee College of Music and the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice. Guo began as a classically trained pianist, studying with Dr. Yan Yun from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. She went on in her childhood to win consecutive awards in the 2010 Hong Kong International 200th Anniversary of Chopin Youth Piano Competition. After moving to the US, in 2016 she performed solo piano at the prestigious Carnegie Hall as a winner of the 13th Annual American Arts Festival competition. Guo then discovered her passion and future in jazz, improvisation, and composition in high school. She considers herself a pianist foremost, with personal influences from Geri Allen, Thelonious Monk and Charles Lloyd. Guo’s performance studies remain in the tradition of jazz, however she is also an unyielding student of the free and the avant garde. At Berklee, she has studied and continues mentorship under distinguished artists such as Kris Davis, Fransisco Mela, Yoko Miwa, and Utar Artun. Guo has performed with George Garzone in the Berklee Performance Center Signature Series, as well played with David Fiuczynski at the annual concert of the American Academy of World Music. As a bandleader Guo has brought her musical groups to perform all over the Boston area playing original music, including the International Boston Asian Music Festivals of the years ‘21- ‘24, Harvard CamLab, the Mad Monkfish, the PostUnderground, and Coolidge Corner Theatre.
Raised in a family of traditional Chinese folk musicians, Guo’s artistry is rooted with a global influence, as she seeks to intertwine the sounds of contemporary and traditional jazz, the avant garde, and traditional Chinese music. As a composer and arranger, Guo is multifaceted writing for her smaller jazz combo groups as well as large orchestral commissions. In 2023, she arranged for the Orquestra Chinesa de Macau, configuring popular jazz music to be played in a traditional chinese instrument orchestra. Guo’s arrangement works also include Suona and Trumpet with Orchestra, performed by her father, suona virtuoso Yazhi Guo and trumpeter Dr. Alexander Freund with the International Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in late 2024. She has completed copyist work for the Silk Road Ensemble, a music collective and organization founded by renowned cellist YoYo Ma.
2024 Scholarship Recipient
Alan Bartus:
Alan Bartus, a semi-finalist in the prestigious 2023 Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Piano Competition, ranks among the jazz pianists of his generation. Born in Lucenec, Slovakia, into a musical family—his father, Stefan, is a renowned jazz artist—Alan displayed remarkable talent from an early age. He began piano lessons at four and quickly earned accolades, including a diploma at a regional competition.
After relocating to Neusiedl am See, Austria, in 2012, Alan excelled at the local music school, becoming one of Burgenland's top students. This success led to masterclasses with esteemed teachers and performances at the Oberschützen Piano Academy. In 2014, he was accepted as a special student at the Bratislava Conservatory under Mgr. Andrea Balesova, where he achieved notable placements in international competitions, including 3rd in Brno (2015), 2nd in Eisenstadt (2016), 1st in Kamenica nad Lipou (2016), and 2nd in Milano (2017).
In 2018, Alan began studying jazz piano at MUK, University of Vienna, under Professor Oliver Kent. By 17, he had gained significant performance experience, becoming a finalist at the Vienna Festival and collaborating with legends of the Austrian jazz scene. His discography includes nine albums, both as a leader—such as "Solology" and "Connectivity"—and as a sideman on projects like "Another Country" and "Hope."
In 2022, Alan's accolades included the Excellence Piano Awards, the Grand Prix Majestic Excellence Award, and the Ö1 Austrian Jazz Prize. He was also accepted into the prestigious Manhattan School of Music in New York City and won the ARTEDEA prize in May 2023, along with 1st prize at the International Piano Competition Langnau in Switzerland.
Alan has had the honor of collaborating with American jazz legend Jerry Bergonzi, touring and recording an album together, as well as working with New York saxophonist Tim Armacost. His recent albums, "SOLOLOGY" and "BORN IN MILLENNIUM," have garnered acclaim from jazz luminaries like Peter Bernstein and Tony Lakatos, solidifying his reputation as a rising star in the jazz world.
2023 Scholarship Recipient
Ebba Dankel:
Ebba Dankel (b.2000 in Malmö, Sweden) is a Boston-based jazz pianist and composer, currently pursuing a BM in Jazz Composition and Piano Performance at Berklee College of Music. She began her studies in piano and trumpet at ages six and eleven, respectively, playing in several big bands on both instruments.
She graduated from the prestigious music program at Malmö Latinskola in 2019 and received awards for her excellent grades and performances. She attended the distinguished jazz program at Skurups Folkhögskola where she studied for two years. Ebba is currently a Sophomore at Berklee where she has received a presidential scholarship. She studies with NEA Jazz masters Joanne Brackeen, Terri Lyne Carrington and grammy winning guitarist Matthew Stevens.
Ebba performs at the legendary Wally’s Jazz Club in Boston every week with different groups she puts together. She is regularly playing and recording with various groups in Boston as well as Sweden and Denmark during the summers. Ebba has performed at several festivals such as the Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Aarhus Jazz Festival, Ödåkra Jazz festival and Malmöfestivalen. She is currently working on her debut album as a leader.
2022 Scholarship Recipient
Joey Curreri:
Joey’s instrument is the trumpet. In 2021, Joey won 2nd place at the Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Solo Competition. Joey has been selected as a semifinalist in the National Trumpet Competition’s jazz division in both his first and second years of college. In high school, Joey was selected as the jazz trumpet finalist in the National YoungArts competition, a member of the the 2017 and 2018 Grammy Camp Jazz Session Big Band, a member of the 2017 and 2018 Thelonious Monk Peer-to-Peer All-Star Sextet (touring Dallas [2017] and San Diego [2018] and performing with Delfeayo Marsalis, Bobby Broom, and Lisa Henry), and toured Japan as a member of the 2018 Next Generation Jazz Orchestra.
Joey Curreri is a jazz trumpeter and composer from Marina del Rey, California. He is currently a senior at the University of Miami Frost School of Music, studying with Brian Lynch and Stephen Guerra. As shared by his instructor, “His compositions and arrangement show maturity and complexity beyond his experience level. Joey has developed a personal compositional voice and is prolific in his output.”
Joey formed the Joey Curreri Quintet in 2019. It includes Dylan Mcchan on Tenor Sax, Connor Rohrer on piano, Patrick Leavy and Mike Ramos on bass, and Marcello Carelli on drums.