Margriet Tindemans Early Strings Scholarship

Honoring Margriet Tindemans

The Margriet Tindemans Early Strings Scholarship was established by Early Music America in 2018 to honor the life and work of the late Margriet Tindemans (1951-2014), a master of early stringed instruments and a shining figure in the field of early music. The biennial Scholarship provides support for specialized, advanced study outside North America that focuses on some aspect of Medieval, Renaissance, or Baroque bowed stringed instruments. The award will cover up to $25,000 in qualifying expenses.

The Scholarship will be awarded to the applicant whose proposal best demonstrates a balance of originality, versatility, depth and breadth of study, and personal dedication. These elements must also be evident in the applicant’s previous endeavors. Applicants must demonstrate a high degree of musical accomplishment in order to be considered.

2023-2024 Recipient: Alyssa Campbell

It is with great pleasure that we announce Alyssa Campbell as the recipient of the 2023 Margriet Tindemans Early Strings Scholarship.

Alyssa is an exceptionally talented baroque violinist whose studies next year will take her to The Royal Conservatory in The Hague, where she will study baroque violin and viola with Enrico Gatti and Kati Debretzeni. Her primary focus will be on 16th and 17th century Italian music, and will include reading and practicing from historical diminution manuals “in order to develop the musical language of the time well enough to fluently improvise diminutions.” In order to do so more effectively, she will continue to study the Italian language while in The Hague. The Tindemans judges panel was also impressed with Ms. Campbell’s specific plans for incorporating her education and experiences abroad into her professional career upon her return to America.

Alyssa is from the Metro Detroit area and a recent graduate from The Juilliard School where she received her Masters Degree in Historical Performance. Prior to moving to New York City, Alyssa graduated with a Bachelor of Music in violin performance from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance. Her primary instructors include Cynthia Roberts, Elizabeth Blumenstock, Robert Mealy, Aaron Berofsky, and Joseph Gascho.

She has performed at prominent music festivals, including the American Bach Soloists Academy, Chautauqua Music Festival, Oregon Bach Festival Berwick Academy, and the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute. Additionally, in 2016 she co-founded the Detroit Chamber Orchestra, an ensemble dedicated to making classical music in the Detroit area accessible and relevant. As a baroque violinist, Alyssa focusses on music spanning the 16th to 19th centuries and aims to expand the field of early music to include works by composers that are underrepresented in the field.

With EMA’s Margriet Tindemans Scholarship, I will spend the next year living in The Netherlands and studying at the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague. This will allow me to not only focus on my own research efforts, but also learn from and absorb the musical culture in Europe as someone who has previously only studied in the United States. I am so grateful to EMA for making this scholarship available, and am excited to see what the next year holds!

Previous Recipients:

2021-2022: Tavya McCoy
2019-2020: Alexander Baker

To support the mission of EMA’s Named Scholarships, please visit our Named Scholarship Funds donation page.

The 2025 application form will open on Tuesday, November 19, 2024.

Questions may be sent to EMA at tindemans@earlymusicamerica.org.

  • Completed online application forms must be submitted by Monday, March 7, 2025 at 11:59 PM ET. All applicants must apply online.
  • Two Letters of Recommendation must be submitted in support of your application by Friday, March 14, 2025 at 11:59 PM ET.
    • Letters should be sent directly to EMA at tindemans@earlymusicamerica.org.
    • Letters should be in the body of the email, NOT sent as an attachment.
    • Applicants are solely responsible for ensuring letters of recommendation are received.
  • A single scholarship award of up to $25,000 will be made to the successful applicant, payable by expense receipt or proof of requirement to pay.
  • The award announcement will be made by the end of April 2025.
  • Applicants should have graduated with a bachelor’s or master’s degree or be due to graduate in the spring of 2025.
  • The Scholarship is intended for students who are at the beginning of their career as a performer and/or scholar. The Scholarship may not be used as support for those exclusively pursuing a soloist’s career.
  • Applicants must demonstrate a high level of musical accomplishment.
  • Students who are already engaged in a course of study outside North America and are seeking funding for continuation of their project may apply. These applicants must explain their status and how their proposed accomplishments will mesh with the terms of the Scholarship. However, priority will be given to applicants who have not yet studied outside of North America.
  • The Scholarship may be applied in one of two ways:
    • To offset the expenses of enrolling in a course of study at a university, conservatory, or similar institution outside of North America. Applicants must submit documentation demonstrating the institution’s ability to support the applicant’s specific area of study, as well as a letter of acceptance from the institution or a relevant faculty member.
    • To pursue an original proposal not necessarily connected to an institution. Any such proposal must be described in as much detail as possible; this may include advanced study of one or more languages and relevant historical culture. However, the primary subject of such a proposal must be related to Medieval, Renaissance, or Baroque bowed stringed instruments (including but not limited to performance, performance practice, repertory, historical context, organology, or a combination of these things).
    • Applicants do not need to have already been accepted into a program. A clear plan as to how applicants envisage their scholarship year is all that is required.
  • Applicants must be permanently based in North America. This includes the 23 countries formally comprising North America, including Canada, the USA, Mexico and other countries of Central America which make up the southern-most part of North America. 
  • Early Music America membership is required of all applicants. (Historical performance students qualify for a one-year complimentary student membership. Please contact info@earlymusicamerica.org for more information.)

Covered Expenses

  • Tuition and fees for a one-year course of study
  • Language and cultural study programs, if applicable
  • Living expenses
  • Project-related travel expenses, including the cost of a single round-trip transportation between North America and Europe.
  • Reasonable miscellaneous expenses (to be detailed in applicant’s proposed budget)

Expenses not covered

  • Purchase, repair, or insurance of instruments
  • Personal medical expenses incurred abroad
  • Visas and residence permits, if required
  • Completed application form
  • Personal statement, not to exceed 1,000 words
  • Applicants must submit with their proposal a detailed budget for the year abroad. Submission of a carefully prepared budget will be an important consideration in the selection process.
  • Resume 
  • Online video with three contrasting samples of your musicianship, not to exceed 15 minutes total in length. The judges’ main consideration is to clearly hear the work of the candidate in order to be able to judge applicant’s sound, musicality, and understanding of language and creative ideas.
  • Two letters of recommendation from teachers or other professionals familiar with your qualifications for this Scholarship.
  • An acceptance letter from the institution in which you the applicant will study or an acceptance letter from a teacher the applicant will study with.
  • EMA requests that its scholarship recipients:
    • Include “Recipient of Early Music America Margriet Tindemans Scholarship for Early Strings” in your bio for the next year;
    • Provide EMA with regular email updates (at least every two months) from the start of your project to the conclusion.
    • Provide EMA with a written report within the month following your project, relaying how the scholarship had an impact on your early music education, and accompanied by photos and videos of your performances.
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