NEC Alums Receive Annenberg Arts Fellowships

April 12, 2016

Violinist Robyn Bollinger '13, '15 M.M. and cellist/conductor Nico Olarte-Hayes '12 Harvard/NEC awarded two-year Leonore Annenberg Arts Fellowships.

Two New England Conservatory alums, violinist Robyn Bollinger '13 B.M., '15 M.M. and cellist and conductor Nico Olarte-Hayes '12 Harvard/NEC have been awarded Leonore Annenberg Arts Fellowships. The highly regarded performance and artistic career-development grant provides $50,000 a year for up to two years to help promising individuals make a breakthrough in their artistry, broaden their skills, and achieve professional success.

Bollinger was nominated by New England Conservatory, which will advise her during the fellowship. Olarte-Hayes was nominated by the Perlman Music Program, where he studied for eight years.

Violinist Robyn Bollinger discussed how the fellowship would impact her career.

“I am proud to represent New England Conservatory as a recipient of this year’s Arts Fellowship from the Leonore Annenberg Arts Fellowship Fund,” said Bollinger. “I am also thrilled to be able to work with NEC faculty members and my former teachers, Miriam Fried and Soovin Kim, both of whom are personal and professional role models of mine and will mentor me during this fellowship. It is an honor to be given such a wonderful platform to share my work and ideas with a broader audience, and I am profoundly grateful to both NEC and the Leonore Annenberg Fellowship Fund for granting me this opportunity!” she said.

Read a blog entry about Robyn Bollinger's award

About Robyn Bollinger

Violinist Robyn Bollinger is originally from Philadelphia, Pa., made her Philadelphia Orchestra debut at age 12. A graduate of New England Conservatory, her fellowship sponsor, she is a member of self-managed, self-conducted chamber orchestra A Far Cry, which has roots in NEC's Chamber Orchestra. Bollinger has developed a concert model that blends multimedia historical presentations and personal narrative with performance. She has proposed to develop a video production and live performance of “CIACCONA: The Bass of Time,” a multimedia project that seeks to demystify Bach’s “Ciaccona” for solo violin. Her father, Blair, is bass trombonist of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Her fellowship is two years.

About Nico Olarte-Hayes

Cellist and conductor Nico Olarte-Hayes is originally from Plainsboro, N.J. He was nominated by the Perlman Music Program, where he studied for eight years. He graduated with honors from the Harvard/New England Conservatory Joint Program with an A.B. in physics from Harvard and a Master of Music from NEC in cello performance. He performed on “Live from Lincoln Center” and “The Kennedy Center Honors” in tribute to his mentor, violinist Itzhak Perlman. Olarte-Hayes, who also won the 2015 Vincent C. LaGuardia, Jr. Conducting Competition, plans to buy instruments and equipment and record works for solo cello by American composers. His fellowship is two years.

About the Leonore Annenberg Fellowship Fund for the Performing and Visual Arts

The Annenberg Fund makes investments in a limited number of exceptionally talented young dancers, musicians, actors and visual artists as they complete their training and begin their professional life. The Leonore Annenberg Fellowship Fund has paid or pledged more than $5.5 million in career-development grants to artists, including the current group, over the last nine years. The funding has enabled promising artists with world-class talent to film a movie, record new music, experiment in performance, afford studio time or training, buy materials, pay for living expenses and pay down student debt. The fellows, selected in consultation with partners such as The Public Theater, American Ballet Theatre, and the Perelman Music Program, work with mentors chosen by the partners and the Leonore Annenberg Fund.

Established artists and American arts institutions identify and recommend candidates to a Selection Council, which makes the final decisions. A distinguished mentor provides guidance and support to each Fellow for the duration of the one- or two-year grant. Up to 10 Leonore Annenberg Arts Fellows are selected each year. The program reflects the late Leonore Annenberg’s lifelong commitment to the arts, her desire to provide opportunities for artistic growth, and her intention to strengthen American cultural life.