Meeting with our scholarship winners
Over the past six years The Gena Branscombe Project has awarded scholarships to up-and-coming composers, conductors and arts administrators. One of our missions is to stay in touch with our winners, post their accomplishments on social media and to meet them in person when the occasion arises. We also try to attend their concerts or at least watch them live streaming! Recently Co-Founder Dan Ryan and our 2020 Composer scholarship winner, Damali Willingham, crossed paths at a gig they did. Damali was Assistant Conductor and Dan sang with The Refugee Orchestra Project on their March 1, 2026 concert in Methuen, MA. Several years ago Damali rea lized Gena Branscombe’s “Festival March/Prelude” from manuscript into a score for wind ensemble. She conducted the premiere of that score at Berklee College of Music in Boston. It’s been a pleasure meeting Damali for lunch or coffee and attending concerts she has conducted. She...