Ingerson Music Fund Annual Gala to feature two 2023 scholarship winners

The KAI Music Education Fund is a nonprofit established in 2022 by the children of Mrs. Ingerson following her retirement that year from the Thousand Islands Central School District, where she reshaped the music department and consistently led it to statewide accolades. At TICS, over a 26-year career, she taught middle school and high school classroom music, conducted all vocal ensembles and served as the district’s coordinator of music. She continues to be a private vocal coach and volunteers her musical skills for a variety of local productions.

The goal of the KAI Music Education Fund is to provide financial support to students in Jefferson County who possess talent, potential and are committed to pursuing higher education in music.

Miss Hopper plans to major in voice/music education at Onondaga Community College.

— Miss Hopper’s primary instrument is voice, but she also plays piano, percussion in her school band and writes music. Although she has not studied privately, she is from a very musical family and has been under the tutelage of Mrs. Ingerson throughout most of her middle and high school career. She is now under the directorship of Collin Zehr.

Miss Hopper has performed as a soloist and with school ensembles from the time she was a little girl. Outside of school, she has volunteered as an anthem singer for many community and sporting events, veterans’ ceremonies, Relay for Life and at her church as part of the worship team. Most recently, she has performed at the annual Sing Fling event in Watertown and the annual Dessert Theater at Thousand Islands High School. She had the lead in this year’s musical, “Spongebob.” Musical honors include, bi-county, Area All State, the Arion Music Award and the Directors Choral Choice Award for Choir. Most notably, she was an honorable mention for two years in a row for the NYSSMA sponsored songwriting competition.

Her immediate plan is to attend Onondaga Community College to major in music education and then to transfer to a four-year music program. She enjoys composing music, running cross-country and performing with the Select Vocal Ensemble. At the May 25 gala, she plans to perform solo vocal selections and be joined by the Thousand Islands High School Select Vocal Ensemble which will perform two of Miss Hopper’s original pieces.

— Miss Huffman plans to major in music business at Middle Tennessee State University. She is a pianist and in February of 2022, won first place at the 16th annual James and Katherine Andrews Young Artist Competition and performed with the Orchestra of Northern New York. She is the daughter of James W. and Lydia E. Huffman. At the gala, she will perform Sinfonia 1 in C Major by J.S. Bach; Sonata in F Major Hob. XVI 23, 1. Allegro by Joseph Haydn; Nocturne in E Minor op. 72 by Frédéric Chopin and “Graceful Ghost (Rag)” by William Bolcom.

Miss Huffman has played piano since she was 5 and studied under John Spradling since she was 8 years old. In 2020, she won second place in the Central New York Association of Music Teachers Advanced Piano Competition. In 2021, she won second place in the James and Katherine Andrews Young Artists Competition, which is hosted by the Orchestra of Northern New York. The following year, she won first place in the same competition, and performed with the orchestra as a piano soloist in their 2022 spring concert. Victoria also plays bass guitar, which she studied under Tony Soluri. She has previously played violin under the instruction of Stephanie Widrick and was a member of the Trillium Fiddlers and Orchestra.

Miss Huffman is active in her school community. She has been named the IRCS class of 2023 salutatorian and serves as the senior class president, Student Council president, and National Honor Society secretary. She has participated in chorus, show choir, and sound production classes throughout her high school career. She is a member of Drama Club, and this year she played the lead role of Angela Quivers in the pilot of the brand new musical, “Punk Rock Girl!” Outside of school, Miss Huffman volunteers at the Indian River Lakes Conservancy.

In her free time, Victoria likes to listen to music and spend time with her family. This fall, she will attend Middle Tennessee State University to major in audio production. After graduating college, she hopes to work as a music producer or an audio engineer. She is the daughter of James Huffman and Lydia Huffman.

Katelyn Lamarche Nier and Duncan Van Schaick, both 2022 recipients, will be joining the 2023 scholarship winners on the program. Both are music education majors with a performance concentration in voice at the Crane School of Music in Potsdam. They will perform classical selections along with a duet from Bernstein’s “Candide.” Helen Timerman of Dexter will accompany.

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The details

WHAT: Kathryn Amore Ingerson Music Fund Annual Gala.

WHEN/WHERE: 7 p.m., Thursday, May 25 at the Clayton Opera House, 403 Riverside Drive.

TICKETS: Can be purchased through Kaimusicfund.org or claytonoperahouse.com. They can also be purchased at the door with a cost of $25 person and at $5 for students in grades K-12.

INFO: For more information on the KAI Music Education Fund, go to kaimusicfund.org.

OF NOTE: The gala is sponsored by the gifts of Frederick and Anne Marie Amore, Iron Horse Tax and Accounting, Tim Wewer and Helen Timerman.